


ARC III: The War Across Infinity

by KassandraScarlett



Series: The Infinite Gospel [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Tony Stark, Civil War Team Iron Man, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Deaf Clint Barton, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone is Dead, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Adopted Child, M/M, Natasha Romanov Has Issues, Not Steve Friendly, Not Team Captain America Friendly, Not Wanda Friendly, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark Friendship, Pepper Potts as Rescue, Scott Lang is a Good Bro, Team Dynamics, Temporary Character Death, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Time Travel, Tony Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange Parenting Peter Parker | Supremefamily | Strange Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22269979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KassandraScarlett/pseuds/KassandraScarlett
Summary: Check. And checkmate.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: The Infinite Gospel [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1044773
Comments: 139
Kudos: 889
Collections: Waiting for updates





	1. Premonitions

**Author's Note:**

> This is it, guys!!! The last installment!!! Really hope I live up to everyone's expectations.

_Everything was black around her. Not dark, not night time- just black._

_She stood silently, trying to see something other than the inkiness._

_“Hello?” Her voice was swallowed by the void._

_She turned around, in a full circle. All around her there was nothing but black._

_Then she heard it. A litany of whispers, like dry leaves rustling in wind. They were calling her name._

_“Hello?” She called again. Panic began to set in. Forget the_ where _part -_ why _was she here? Was there no one else around? “HELLO?!”_

_The whispers continued. She looked frantically, turning this way and that, searching for something other than blackness._

_Then she saw it. A lone figure, walking in the direction opposite her. Tall, confident, red cloak fluttering in the non-existent wind. He was a little far, but she would know that person anywhere._

_“Stephen!” She called, relief breaking through the panic. “Stephen, wait up!”_

_He gave no indication he heard her, but she started jogging anyway. Maybe he knew something about this place._

_“Stephen!” She yelled again, louder this time._

_He didn’t turn._

_Something cold grew in her chest. He couldn’t_ not _have heard her, no way. Sound couldn't travel in vacuum, but this wasn't a vacuum, they were breathing, they had air. So why...?_

_“Stephen, wait!” She cried. “Please.”_

_She wasn't getting any closer, she realized. He was just as far away as he'd been when she first caught sight of him._

_“Stephen!_ _”_

_He stopped and she dared to hope. He turned towards her. She was too far to see his eyes, but something about the way his body was postured made her slow down to a stop._

_“Stephen?_ _” This time, it was nothing more than a whisper._

_He stood still, a stoic figure. Never had he held himself so stiffly, so defensively, in front of her. His inaction rankled._

_“Lady Stark,” a voice spoke behind her, cool and familiar, but ragged._

_She turned to see another man, a god. “What?” She asked weakly, confused._

_“This is a dream,” he explained. He looked haggard, though it showed only in his eyes. “Though, I am real. I would apologize for intruding, but I have a warning and neither of us have much time left.”_

_“What?” She repeated._

_Green eyes regarded her sadly. “He is coming,” he said quietly._

_She didn’t understand. The way he said those words felt urgent, like she should know, like there was something to be done. But she looked back at the far away figure and crushing loneliness filled her with despair._

_“It is time to wake up, milady,” the god said, almost gentle._

_She wanted to protest, but the ground started to shake. She looked away again to ignore the god. “Stephen!” She screamed, trying to get a reaction out of him, as she struggled to keep her balance. But she lost her footing as the earthquake grew stronger and as her knees hit the ground, the man who loved her turned his back and walked away._

* * *

Toni didn't have loud nightmares, not like Stephen. When she dreamed, she was quiet, all soft whimpers and breathy pleas.

Nevertheless, Stephen would kick himself if he could, for not waking up the moment Toni left the bed. As it was, he couldn’t be entirely sure what had woken him up. Maybe the lack of warmth when he’d subconsciously tried to press his cold feet into Toni’s calves. 

“Toni?” He called softly, when he found the room empty. 

With a frown, he saw why he’d been feeling cold; the balcony was open, curtains swaying in the light breeze. 

Swinging off the bed and shaking off the remaining vestiges of sleep, he pulled on a pair of sweats and made his way across the master bedroom of Toni’s Florence mansion. _(“Palazzo di Carbonell,” Toni had said with a smirk, Italian rolling off her tongue with the liquid smoothness that she’d quickly discovered made Stephen’s toes curl. “Era la casa d'infanzia di Maria. Non ho mai passato molto tempo li', ma e ' bellissimo per una vacanza.”)_

Sure enough, he found Toni leaning against the railing, dressed only in Stephen’s shirt, which was long enough on her to reach halfway to her knees and hang off her frame. She was looking out at the city with a glass of champagne in her hands, her other fingers twisting idly as her eyes probably gleaned blue. Knowing she had already picked up on his presence _(Extremis made it so damn difficult to surprise her)_ , he didn’t worry about startling her, just coming behind her to place his hands on her hips.

“Can’t sleep?” He asked, pressing a gentle kiss to her bare shoulders. 

She shivered under the touch of his lips, leaning back into his chest. The blue faded from her eyes. She only hummed in agreement. 

“What were you working on?” He asked, snagging her glass to take a sip. 

“The vibranium-starkanium melding,” she answered easily, if a little shame-faced. “Vision sent me an email after working with Shuri for a bit. Apparently, the mixture could potentially be a conduit for Infinity Stones. But there’s no feasible way to integrate it into the armours or suits or anything. It’s pure liquid, has a higher temperature than Extremis. Think boiling adamantium. And vibranium alone is so difficult to maleate- adding Starkanium makes its even more so. Literally, the only thing to do is inject it into the body, but as you said...” She trailed off. 

Stephen finished for her. “It’s too invasive.”

She nodded. “We don’t even know what the side effects will be. Only that it’ll make the subject pretty much immortal. Like you said- again.”

Stephen sighed, handing the glass back to Toni. His other hand rubbed circles onto her hip bone with his thumb. “You’re powerful enough not to need more protection, Toni,” he answered quietly. 

“I know,” was all she said. 

They stood in silence for some time, enjoying the quiet night and the city lights. 

“You wanna tell me why you woke up?” Stephen asked gently. 

Toni dipped a finger into the liquid, swirling it around before daintily putting it into her mouth. Stephen watched with some amusement; he knew exactly what tactics Toni used to distract people. So he waited quietly for her to give in. 

She did so, with an upset pout that made him raise an eye brow in challenge. 

“It was a nightmare,” she finally sighed. “Don’t ask what. I can’t remember most of it.”

He waited. 

“Loki was there,” she said suddenly. 

Stephen stared at her. “I knew you had a crush on him,” he accused playfully. 

She cracked a small smile, shaking her head. “No, he...” She trailed off. “I think he was warning me about something.”

“What about?”

She sighed. “I can’t remember, but I’m willing to bet it was about Thanos.”

Stephen bit his lip. He thought about suggesting they call Carol, but she’d left with the Guardians after Pepper and Happy’s wedding to run recon. 

“Maybe it was just a dream,” he assured. He smoothed a hand down Toni’s hair, trying to calm her down. “Just a nightmare, yes?”

“Yeah,” she said softly. She turned slightly, so her warm breath wafted over his bare chest. “I remember feeling alone,” she added without warning. 

Stephen frowned. 

“I don’t know if I saw anyone else there,” she mumbled. “But I was alone. Completely and absolutely alone. And it scared me. I felt like I had to do something but I was so terrified that I couldn’t even remember what.”

Stephen took a deep breath, then bent a little to press a kiss to Toni’s forehead. “You aren’t alone,” he spoke into her hair. “You’re never alone. You’ve got Rhodey, Clint, Pepper, Harley, all the kids, the Avengers. And you’ve got me.” He pulled back a bit and gripped her chin to make her look at him. “Toni. Even if, by some miracle of god, everybody else leaves you, I’ll still be here. I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.”

“You promise?” She asked. Her voice was soft and pleading, her eyes dark in the moonlight, but still conveying every ounce of insecurity she felt. 

Stephen kissed her, slow and confident, bracketing her with his arms. “I promise,” he swore again. 

She sighed and melted into him, her fears abated, if not gone.

* * *

Somewhere amidst the stars, Thor Odinson wept over his brother’s body. 


	2. To The Stars We Fly

They were lazing around, Toni flipping pancakes with practised ease as Stephen made tea. It was comfortable, silent except the occasional “Pass me the...”

They still had three days left before they had to go back to New York. But still... They had three days left. 

Of course, that was when Stephen’s phone rang. 

“Wong?” He asked, with a furrowed brow. Stephen had asked not be disturbed for their vacation and Wong would always respect that. The fact that he was calling did not bode well and the knowledge of that had Toni frowning in his direction as well. 

“Right,” Stephen sighed. “What exactly... No, why can’t you just... Alright... Yes, we’ll be there... Yeah, yeah, bye.”

Toni took in his half-worried, half-sullen expression. “Something wrong?” She asked, already knowing the answer. 

Stephen nodded slowly. “He said there’s a visitor. Didn’t say who.”

“Friendly?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Stephen got to his feet, bringing out the sling ring. “Ready to go?”

Toni nodded, wiping her hands clean and joining him. “Vacation's over,” she grumbled. “Why do I have a bad feeling about what’s next?”

“I know,” Stephen agreed quietly. “But, hey.” He smiled slightly. “We’ll always have Paris.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go.”

Stephen obliged, drawing a portal into the foyer of the Sanctuary. They stepped through together. 

“Okay, Wong, who’s the-”

Before Stephen finished, there was a breathless exclamation of “Toni!” and the genius was abruptly engulfed in a tight embrace. 

Toni froze for a second. Then, slowly, hesitantly, she brought her arms up around the newcomer, returning the hug. 

“Bruce?” She asked, confused and happy. “Hey, buddy, what’s up? Are... Are those Clint’s jeans? And... My jacket?”

As she spoke, Stephen looked around, taking in the crater in the stairs and the hole in the roof. Had Bruce...? 

“Give me a second,” Bruce mumbled into Toni’s shoulders. “I recently spent two years and two days as the Hulk, with only a few hours of myself in between. Few hours which were spent with Thor, who’s like an overenthusiastic puppy, and Loki and a warrior lady, neither of whom are huggers. And Clint wears his jeans really tight. And, uh, I’m pretty sure I’ve lost too much weight, because your jacket fits me surprisingly well. Also, the Hulk just went toe to toe with a Titan, and I’m about to deliver some very bad news, so just give me a damn second of a good thing.”

As per his request, Stephen swallowed his questions and Toni tightened her hold, swaying lightly as if to console her friend. They all pretended not to notice the shaking of his shoulders. 

After another minute, Bruce seemed to take a deep breath. He stepped away from Toni, wiping his face quickly.

“Toni,” he said, voice scared. “Guys, Thanos is coming.”

* * *

Stephen stared up at the illusion of the Infinity Stones. 

Toni was sat on a sofa they’d conjured up, chin in hands. “What’s our timeline?” She asked. She was doing her best not to panic or grieve. Thanos was on his way; there’d be time to freak out and mourn Loki and Thor later. 

“There’s no telling,” Bruce said, with a shrug. “Look, the point is, we know where the Time Stone is. And Vision has the Mind Stone. We need to get both to safety, because Thanos has only three right now, but he’s already the most powerful being in the universe. He pounded on the Hulk like it was nothing.”

Toni stood, breathing deeply. “I don’t suppose we can just chuck that one down the garbage chute?” She asked, wearily, gesturing at Stephen's chest, where the Eye now lay. 

He shook his head. “No can do. We’ve taken an oath. And we might actually want to use it. It could be our best chance against him.”

“Conversely, it might also be his best chance against us,” Toni pointed out. “If he gets that one, then any hit we lay on him, he can just reverse it.”

“We’ll have to take that risk,” Stephen insisted. 

Toni sighed, nodding. “Alright, alright.” She met his gaze. “We’re gonna have to get the Mind Stone away from Vision.”

“We’ll need Maximoff on board,” he added. “Her power comes directly from an Infinity Stone, she might be able to help.”

“Maximoff?” Bruce questioned, annoyance in his voice. 

Toni glanced at him with sympathy. “Sorry, but yeah; Vis isn’t gonna like it either,” she muttered.

“I know. But I’ll be sending at least half a dozen sorcerers along, to keep an eye on her. The rest will be standing guard at the Sanctums,” Stephen assured. 

She grabbed her phone, dialling Rhodey. “Rhodey, we've got incoming, no timeline. It's Thanos.”

“ _Shit_ ,” he cursed. “ _Just when Carol’s not here. Okay, Wakanda is the best place to do this, if we wanna avoid casualties. The Rogues are already there anyway. I’ll ask the Defenders to catch a ride with the Fantastic Four._ ”

“Alert the Council,” Toni agreed. “We’ll need all hands on deck. Stephen is informing the sorcerers. Maximoff and a few of them will portal over to Wakanda. Give Vision a heads up.”

“What Council? What do you mean Wakanda?” Bruce asked. 

_“Wait, Scott and Hope are off working on that project with Pym. We don't have any way to contact them.”_

“Just leave a message, hopefully they’ll be there in time. Stephen, Wong, Bruce and I will stay here, for the first strike. They’ll probably sense the Time Stone, so best to keep it away from Vis.”

“ _I’m keeping Pepper here too then, if the first strike is in New York, you’re gonna need her to run search and rescue. For that record, I’m telling Peter to stay with you as well_.”

“No!” Toni exclaimed. “The kids are all gonna be on a plane with Laura and May and Happy to the Barton farmhouse.”

“What’s Mrs Barton doing here? And, I’m sorry, did she say _kids_?” Poor Bruce was sounding more and more confused. 

“ _Neither Harley nor Peter are gonna be remotely okay with that. I'm not crazy about this either, but like you said, it’s an all hands on deck situation. And Peter isn't a normal kid, don't treat him like one_.”

“If you keep Peter here then Harley will wanna stay too.”

“ _Not if he remembers he needs to stay with Lizzie. He's not an idiot, Toni. He knows how to prioritize._ ”

Toni resisted the urge to growl. But she knew Rhodey was right. 

“Alright,” she nodded. “How long will it take you to round everyone up and get to Wakanda?”

“ _I'm in Malibu, so, a couple hours_.”

“Okay, well-” She stopped, the words tripping over her tongue as her gaze fell on Stephen, who’d just finished contacting Kamar-Taj. “Rhodey, I gotta go.”

“ _Wait, what, Toni, tell me wh-_ ”

Everyone turned to her with a frown, but she kept her eyes on Stephen- more specifically, the strand of hair that almost always fell across his forehead. “Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair by any chance, would you?” Because, yes, Stephen did that sometimes for dramatic effect. 

Sure enough, her sorcerer stilled, registering the change in the air. “Not at the moment, no.”

They all looked up at the same time to the hole in the overhead dome. A flurry of leaves flew past the piece of sky that was visible. 

A cacophony of shrieks kicked up, muted by the thick doors of the Sanctum. 

For a few seconds, they all stared, at the door and each other. 

Then without warning Toni moved forward, striding out the doors with purpose, Stephen right at her heels with a muffled curse. 

_**-FRI, alert the local authorities, I want complete evac between 23rd and 42nd street.-**_

_**-Yes, Boss.-** _

“Stephen!” she called, as she directed Wong towards a woman trapped in a car. “You might wanna put that Stone somewhere safe.”

“I hate to break it to you, but it’s safest with me,” he yelled back. 

Slowly, they made their way to the intersection. As leaves and dust and smog covered the air, Toni could only see the vaguest hint of something large preparing to touch down in the ground. The sound of engines, however foreign, was unmistakable too. 

Toni prepared to use a repulsor to clear the air. A quick sweep of Stephen’s arms instead kicked up a wind, clearing away the fog. Toni turned back to look at him. “Show off,” she mouthed. He just winked at her and she turned away again to hide her own smirk, peripherally aware of Bruce’s curious side-eye. 

The object in the air was visible now. Large, circular, like a donut, and as far as she could tell, made up of inter-locking plates and three engines. Her fingers itched with the desire to take it apart, but she tore her eyes away and focused on the newcomers instead. 

The first thing that caught her eye was the long strip of cloth hanging from the belted waist of the large brute. A familiar pattern of blue, red and gold. Carol. 

“Stephen,” she hissed. 

“I see it,” he replied, voice low and heavy with concern. 

Toni took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to worry yet. 

“Greetings, people of earth!” It was the tall, skinny alien, reptilian and downright creepy. “Rejoice, for you are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. But even in death-”

Alright, Toni was not in the mood for monologues. Especially when they couldn’t carry it off with flair. “I'm sorry, but earth is closed today!” she interrupted in a yell, ignoring the near-silent huff of irritation from behind her. “You better pack it up and get out of here.” She made sure to emphasize her last words, not that she thought it would work. 

It didn’t. The reptile gave her a single look of contempt, then looked at Stephen. “Stonekeeper,” he greeted coldly. “Does this chattering animal speak for you?”

“Sometimes, and she happens to do it well,” Stephen replied in an even tone. He stepped to her side, fists knocking against each other to form golden-orange mandalas on each hand. “You are trespassing on this city and on this planet.”

“They bore me,” the reptile drawled. “Kill them.”

The brute with Carol’s signature colours started towards them, dragging a long hammer-type weapon behind him. 

“Banner, you want a piece?” She offered. 

Bruce sighed. “No, but when do I ever get what I want?”

Toni frowned, filing away the thought that her friend needed therapy. “Exactly,” she agreed, hiding her concern. “It’ll be good to have you back, buddy.”

The last words were directed not just to Bruce, but also to the Hulk and he seemed to hear her, because as green rippled across Bruce’s skin, the green beast roared in anger, “Friend Toni! Missed you!”

She grinned, sharp and wicked. “Take care of the big one, green guy. Wong, help him. Stephen, you with me?”

“You know it.”

As Hulk charged the monster, metal slid over Toni’s skin and Stephen started his own spells. 

For about ten seconds, it went great. Then, Toni was thrown away, pinned to the ground as Stephen tried to hold off the reptile on his own and Hulk was smashed into a tree. 

Toni squeezed her eyes shut, ready to blast repulsors when the brute's arms were close enough. They never came. 

“ _Hey, Miss Stark!_ ” She heard through her comms. 

Toni opened her eyes in shock to see Spider-Man shielding her from any further blows. “Kid?” She gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“ _Field trip to Mau- EHYAAAAAH!_ ” Peter threw his hand out for help and Toni was just a second too late to grab hum before he was being yanked away. Her heart stopped momentarily, then started again, when she heard him ask, “ _What is this guy's problem, Miss Stark?_ ”

“Uh, he’s from space, he came here to steal the necklace from our wizard,” she summed up. Then, she spotted Stephen- _his unconscious body_ \- being tugged up towards the space ship by an invisible force, Levi flitting frantically after him. She needed to get to him, but she also couldn’t leave Peter to deal with this guy, not while Hulk was out of sight. “Kid, there’s Stephen! Get on it,” she demanded, with a growl. 

“ _On it!_ ” He assured and swung away. 

Toni focused on the monster. “Okay, let’s get you back into close quarters.”

She danced around him, guns and mini-missiles alternatively hitting him so she could pester him into moving back. It was difficult; for all his size, he was pretty persistent. 

Then the Hulk appeared again, launching into his side and barrelling him into the centre of the park. He moved away just as fast and Toni watched with some relief as Wong showed up, creating a portal right under his feet. 

For a few seconds, they all breathed. “Bruce, you good?” She asked, as Hulk shrank away. 

“Yeah,” he panted, gratefully accepting an overcoat Wong summoned. 

“Peter, Stephen?” She asked into the comms. 

_“Uh, Miss Stark?”_ Peter’s voice came as high-pitched and nervous. “ _I'm being beamed up!_ ”

Toni looked up, watched the space ship ascend fast, and could just make out a lithe figure being pulled along. 

Toni cursed. Heart in her throat, she kicked off faster than she ever had, zipping through the treeline to catch up to the ship. 

_**-FRIDAY, unlock 17A-** _

_**-Got it, boss. Already deployed-** _

“Peter, let go!’ She ordered, as she came closer to him. 

He was sticking to the side of it, but he’d stopped moving, like he was scared of falling. “ _But we’ve gotta save Dr Strange!_ ” He panted. 

Toni groaned. “Peter, listen, just-” She nearly screamed in frustration as she realized he was taking off his mask. 

“ _I can't breathe!"_ He gasped. 

“You’re too high up, the air's getting thinner, you running out of oxygen,” Toni reminded, trying to keep her voice soothing. She was almost to him. 

“ _Yeah, that makes sense_ ,” he mumbled. 

Just a few seconds more, Toni thought fiercely. “Pete, listen to me, you gotta let go. I’ll catch you,” she promised. 

And he did. Peter released his hold and his body curved backwards as he gracefully dived off. Before he’d fallen for more than two seconds, a compact set of nanoparticles arrived and hit him, before spreading, the metal covering him the same way Toni’s own armour did. 

The influx of breathable air rejuvenated him and he flipped mid-air, latching on the to the nearest surface, just as Toni finally caught up. 

“ _Woah, Stark, it smells like a new car in here,_ ” he exclaimed giddily as Iron Spider Mark 1 glistened in the dim lighting of the upper stratosphere. 

“Yeah, glad you like it,” Toni spared a second to say. “Now go home.”

“ _Wait, what?!_ ”

“Happy trails, kid. FRIDAY, take him back.”

_**-Yes, Boss-** _

She resolutely ignored his frustrated yelp and instead carefully lasered the edge of one of the panels. To her relief, it didn’t blow a hole in the ship. The panels just slid away to let her in, the inside of the ship automatically adjusting for pressure. 

She looked around, folding her helmet back. It looked like the hull of the ship, which explained the auto-adjusting air and pressure. She’d gotten lucky. 

_**-Boss, incoming call from Harley Stark-** _

“ _Mom?”_

“Harley,” Toni murmured, trying to mask her worry. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you I was back from Italy.”

Harley didn’t idle. “ _You’re on that ship, aren’t you?_ ”

“Uh, yeah,” she hummed in agreement. “Sorry, Harl, but Stephen got taken and I need to get him back.”

She could hear his long, heavy breathing. “ _You’ll come back right? Both of you?_ ”

Toni felt a pang of guilt for the fear in his voice. “Of course,” she promised without thinking. “You keep out of trouble until I’m back. You and Lizzie and Peter, all three of you. Listen to Rhodey.”

“ _Okay, but if... What about..._ ”

_**-Boss, we’re losing him-**_ FRIDAY sounded just as scared. **_-I'm going too-_**

Suddenly, Toni felt her own terror spike. She must have left earth’s orbit if FRIDAY couldn’t connect to her mind with the SI satellites. 

_Stop it,_ she told herself, _stop freaking out, you don’t have time for this_.   
Slowly, she creeped in the direction of the low murmur of voices that she was only just beginning to hear. The hull opened up into a walkway through the upper levels of the ship. Below was what she identified as the cockpit and on the other side... Stephen was suspended in mid-air, the Eye hanging off his chest. He was in the midst of a cluster of translucent needles and Toni nearly choked when she realized they were digging into the veins of his face and hands. 

“You’ll have to kill me first,” Stephen rasped, as the reptile demanded the stone. 

“No,” he replied. “I’ll only make you beg for me to kill you.”

As the needles began to push deeper, there was a tap on Toni’s shoulder. She whipped around, ready to blast the enemy away, but came face to cloth of the Cloak, instead. 

“Levi, oh, thank god, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Toni whispered in relief. The hem patted her cheek fondly, then pointed down at Stephen. “I know, I know I’m working on it,” she assured. “I gotta tell you, you are extremely loyal for a piece of outerwear.” The joke was to calm both her and Levi’s nerves. 

“Yeah, speaking of loyalty...”

Toni froze. No no no no, this wasn’t supposed to happen! She turned to find Peter, his own mask withdrawn. “What the hell are you-?”

He threw his hands up in defence. “Now, I know what you’re about to say, but-”

“You should not be here,” she hissed. 

“And I was on my way back, but-” He tried to explanation. 

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“And I also remembered that you’d be-”

“And now I gotta hear it.”

“And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way, so...” Peter shrugged nonchalantly. “So, it’s actually kind of your fault I’m here.”

Both Toni and Levi stiffened, the latter wildly fluttering in a ‘ _Kid, you’re about to be grounded for life!'_ way. 

“What did you say?” Toni demanded coldly, because no, it couldn’t be her fault, she would never do anything to deliberately put her kid in more danger than he was already in with his night-time activities.

Peter seemed to have realized his slip-up the second it occurred. “That’s not what I meant!” He tried to say. 

“No, you listen to me,” Toni snapped, internally grateful that the reptile was too busy to hear their hushed bickering. “This isn’t a joke. It’s not a field trip to wherever. This is a one-way ticket and...”

“Miss Stark,” Peter tried to calmly explain. “I can’t be a neighbourhood Spider-Man if there’s no neighbourhood.”

Toni stared, aware of Levi’s confused stance. 

“Okay, that doesn’t make sense,” Peter admitted, giving up. “But you know what I mean.”

Toni sighed. Yeah, she knew. And as much as she hated it, he was here now, and she couldn’t send him away. FRIDAY would hopefully work out where he was and let the others on earth know not to worry. 

“Okay, kid,” she said quietly. “Okay.”

* * *

Bruce picked up Toni’s phone, ringing. “Hello?”  
“ _Banner?_ ”

“Rhodes, yeah, hey.” He cleared his throat. “Long story, but I’m back.”

“ _Okay, where’s Toni? Please tell me she didn’t leave in that donut_.”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Bruce said apologetically. “Uh, Dr Strange and the spider guy are with her too.”

Rhodey cursed. “ _Okay. Bruce, get to the Tower. Pepper’s gonna put you on a plane to Wakanda. She’ll also give you a tablet. You might wanna look it over on the flight. And Bruce?_ ”

“Yeah?"

Rhodes' voice took on an edge of malice. “ _Feel free to deck any of the Rogues, when you arrive. Just try not to kill them, okay?_ ”

“What Rogues?” Bruce demanded, remembering that Toni had used the term as well. “And why would I want to deck them?”

“ _It’s all in the tablet Pepper will give you_ ,” he promised and ended the call. 

Bruce sighed and with a goodbye wave to Wong, began making his way in the direction of the Tower. 


	3. Blessings We Don't Have

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is a slow chapter, but we have the Bruce-Rogues interaction some of you were asking for, so... Enjoy :)

“And that, is why I said we should keep the Time Stone away from the fight,” Toni stated, as she helped Stephen to his feet. 

He made a face at her. “What you’re supposed to say is _‘Are you okay, Stephen?'_ , then you wait for me to reply.”

She squawked indignantly. “I'm sorry, who just saved your ass?”

“Thank you for saving me, Peter.” He turned to the teen. “But aren’t you supposed to be at school?”

Toni began to mutter to herself. 

“Well, yeah, actually, I was on a bus, we were on a field trip,” Peter began to explain. “Then I saw the donut in the sky and I didn’t know if you guys were back from your vacation so I sent a voice mail while swinging over to let you know.”

“Okay,” Stephen said slowly. He could only guess how the kid’s presence was affecting Toni. And he guessed right. Looking over, he saw his genius was at the front of the ship, hands braced against the console panel as she kept her head bowed, lips moving soundlessly. 

He went to her, waving Peter away. “You okay?” He asked softly, not wanting to startle her. 

She didn’t reply for a few seconds, keeping her eyes closed. Then she looked up. “I thought we’d have more time,” she admitted in a defeated murmur. “I thought we might be able to just... Live, for a little while more.”

“I know,” he murmured. “So did I.”

They stood in quiet for some time, staring out at the vast expanse of space. 

“Can you get us home?” Stephen asked. The blinking console made no sense to him, but Toni was observing it with a furrowed brow and glowing eyes. She had examined the Guardians' ship when they’d arrived two weeks ago, so it was more than likely that the alien tech actually made some sense to her. 

“I think so,” she said. “I'm working on translating the data and... It’s on a pre-set course, right now, but yeah, I think I can get us to where we need to go.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow. “Please, don’t tell me you’re thinking of taking the fight to Thanos,” he half-pleaded. 

She didn’t answer, just bit her lip. 

“Toni, we don’t even have any backup,” he insisted. 

“Uh, I’m backup,” Peter suggested from behind them. 

That got Toni’s reaction. “No, you’re a stowaway” she corrected. “The adults are talking.” She turned to Stephen. “Look, we both know how much earth is capable of. But we also just saw what two of Thanos' guys can do. A whole army? Thanos himself? How high do you think the body count will be?”

Stephen exhaled harshly. “I can’t risk the Time Stone,” he said quietly. “And I don’t want to risk you and Peter.”

Toni hesitated. “You have to trust me,” she implored. “We’re not going to let him get to the Stone.”

“And what happens if it goes wrong?” Stephen snapped. “What happens if it comes down to a choice of what to save?”

“There _is_ no choice here, Stephen,” Toni stressed. “Just... Look, if things go sideways, you give me ten seconds to protect Peter, then you do whatever you need to do to get the Stone to safety.”

Stephen shook his head. “You’re asking me to choose between the world... And my world.”

Toni stepped in. Small hands cradled his face and he leaned in to the touch. “It’s not just the world, sweetheart,” she whispered and the rarely used pet name did nothing to soften the blow of her words. “It’s the whole damn universe. And no one person is worth that.”

Stephen nodded, heart heavy at the thought of what he might have to do. 

Toni moved away. “Peter,” she called calmly. “Congratulations, you’re an Avenger now.”

There was a grimness on the young face that showed the teen had heard every word spoken and had no argument to any of it. Despite that, Toni’s words and her knighting gesture over his shoulders brought a faint giddiness to his features and Stephen wondered how Toni could be so strong to be ready to sacrifice everything for a concept like the ‘ _universe_ ’.

“As for me,” Toni went on. She turned to the console again, a faint smile, only partly false, stretching over her lips. “I’m gonna be a space pirate! Gentlemen, welcome aboard Captain Stark’s new ship!”

* * *

“So there’s an Ant-Man _and_ a Spider-Man?” Bruce asked in disbelief, as Rhodey sullenly gave up on contacting Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne. “And a _Wasp_?”

“Yeah,” the Colonel answered. “But Spider-Man, as you said, is off-world with Toni and Stephen. And Scott and Hope were roped into some kind of super-secret project by Hank Pym. They’re completely off-grid, probably on Pym's condition. The man is paranoid that Toni is after his tech.”

“To be fair, lots of people are paranoid about Toni, just about different things,” Clint pointed out. 

Then James Barnes walked in, along with Vision. “Clint, your wife called. She and the kids are all settled in at the farmhouse. So are Peter’s aunt and the Stark kid. But not the older one. Lizzie says she saw him sneak off the plane.”

Rhodey actually groaned at that. “Toni is going to kill me,” he bemoaned. Bruce had to marvel at how dramatic Rhodey became in Toni’s absence, almost as if he dealt with his worry by channelling her spirit. 

He had bigger doubts at the moment though, so he shook his head. “Hold on, time out. Who’s Peter and who’s his aunt? And, did you say, _Stark kid_?” He asked in astonishment. 

“Peter Parker is the teenage alter-ego of Spider-Man,” Vision explained. In the years that Bruce had been gone, his monotone had evolved into something more natural. “He is also an intern at SI and Toni’s godson. They are very close. His identity is known only to a few, not including the Rogues.”

“As for the Stark kids,” Rhodey laughed. “Harley and Elizabeth Keener. It’s a long story, but Toni basically adopted them, then made it official after their father passed away.”

“Wow.” Bruce exhaled shakily at everything he’d missed. “Toni is officially a mom. I really wish I could have been there to see her face when she realized she was a role model.”

“She broke out in hives,” Clint snickered. “She’s actually careful about _lab safety_ now, because both her boys and Lila spend a lot of time with her there.”

Bruce had to laugh at the mental image of Toni tinkering around her labs with a small gaggle of children trailing after her. He’d read about Extremis rendering her infertile and deemed it a tragedy that she would never be able to give birth. Still, she’d found happiness and Bruce was glad for her. 

Just then, the Rogues walked in. And Bruce, having devoured all the information on the tablet Pepper had given him, stiffened immediately. 

“Bruce,” Romanoff greeted first. She’d dyed her hair blonde, looking slightly more aged than the last time he’d seen her. There was a faint smile on her lips. “It’s good to see you. Where have you been?”

“Far away from the cluster fuck here on earth,” Bruce replied coldly. “I’m not yet sure whether I should be glad I missed the excitement or disappointed I didn’t get to sic the Hulk on a few choice people.” He made sure to focus his gaze on Maximoff for the last part and took grim satisfaction at the way she paled considerably. 

“Wong put the protection charms on you, didn’t he?” Rhodey asked. “They’re kind of mandatory.”

“He did, yeah.” Bruce nodded. “Soon as he heard I’d be in proximity to _her_.”

“Bruce.” Wilson finally stepped in, blocking his view of Maximoff. “I’m sure you’ve already found out Stark’s point of view. Don’t you think you’re being quick to pass judgement without hearing our side?”

Bruce gave him a withering glare. “No,” he stated flatly. “I don’t listen to deserters, traitors and ex-fugitives.” He tilted his head to Rogers, who’d remained quiet. All the anger he’d felt on the plane ride over, all the anger he remembered feeling as a child unable to help his mother- it all came crashing back in. It wasn’t fiery rage, but cold fury, and the Hulk didn’t interrupt, just lent him support. “I definitely don’t listen to abusers and would-be murderers,” he finished in a low voice. 

There was a sharp intake of breath from someone, but Bruce watched Rogers and some hidden, dangerous part of him, the part of him that had once coolly considered slitting his father’s throat for breaking a bottle over his mother’s head, relished in the guilt and pain that flashed over the former Captain’s face. 

“Okay, time to break up the awkward atmosphere!” Princess Shuri, as Bruce recognized her, flounced in, smug and giddy excitement at the same time. “Mr Vision.” She turned to the synthezoid. “Dr Stark had sent in a last minute approval to use her element. We’re going to start with the Vibra-Star first, obviously.”

“Vibra-Star?” Bruce frowned in confusion. 

Vision gave him a pained smile. “It seems the princess is just as terrible at naming things as Toni. Vibra-Star, I must assume, is the new name for a Vibranium-Starkanium meld.”

“Right. And why do you guys think that’s gonna help in removing the Stone from you?”

Shuri pulled up a hologram. It was a schematic diagram of the Tesseract. “Dr Stark’s element, which powers her arc reactor, is based on Howard Stark’s preliminary results of tests on the Tesseract. According to Dr Stark’s files, which she kindly forwarded, the arc reactor had shown resistance to the Mind Stone, when it was in Loki’s sceptre. It also began battling Miss Maximoff’s curse on her, the source of which was also the Mind Stone.” 

Next, she brought up another hologram. This one showed a chemical composition of what Bruce knew was Vibranium. 

“Vibranium, as we Wakandans have always known, is also originated from deep-space material. We have never known it’s true source, but based on Dr Stark’s notes, it seems similar to Thor’s hammer. Therefore, we had the idea of melding the two elements together, to see if they might strengthen, or cancel each other out. The result, we found, is a primarily liquid composition that can channel Infinity Stones. Both Vision and Dr Strange were kind enough to help with the experiments.”

Everybody took a collective breath. The teenager could talk all right. Bruce had taken the file from her and was flipping it through. After New York, when they’d spent most of their time working together, he and Toni had developed a shorthand of their own and it warmed his heart to see that Toni still used it. Princess Shuri had also made her notes in the margins and Bruce could tell he was going to immensely enjoy working with her. 

“Alright, Your Highness.” He nodded decisively at her. “Let’s round up Dr Richards, then we can get started. If we’re lucky, we’ll actually finish before Thanos arrives.”

* * *

It seemed as if Pepper’s heart hadn’t stopped it’s frantic staccato since getting the news from Rhodey. Even as she flew around the streets, coordinating between the local police and SI's security division, plus any able hand they could spare, she couldn’t quite shake off the feeling of dread that kept building in her chest. 

“ _ **Incoming call from Harley Stark**_ ,” FAWKES, her Texan AI said, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Harley,” she greeted, as the call came through. “What is it?”

“ _Hey, Pepper_ ,” his half-nervous voice sounded. “ _So, uh, please, don’t get mad at me, but I, uh... I’mstillinNewYork!_ ”

“Harley!” Pepper snapped. “You’re supposed to be at the Barton farmhouse.”

“ _Yeah, but... I just sneaked off the plane, because I’m not sitting this out_ ,” the fifteen year old said stubbornly. “ _I can help! With evac, if nothing else_.”

“You want to put on your suit,” she stated flatly. 

There was a short silence. “ _You, uh, you know about that?_ ” Came the awkward laughter. 

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Everybody knows, Harley. You’re not very subtle.”

“ _And, by everybody, you mean...?_ ”

“Myself, Happy, Rhodey, Stephen and Toni.”

“ _Oh_.” Harley seemed to be considering his next words. 

Pepper sighed. The boy had always been stubborn, she was sure. Toni’s relatively accommodating nature hadn’t influenced that. He was going to get out in the field, no matter what anyone said. 

“Okay, Harley,” she gave in softly, praying she wasn’t doing the wrong thing. “But you stay with me and you don’t argue with orders, got it?”

“ _Got it!_ ” Harley exclaimed. “ _Thanks, Pepper_.”

“So, what are you thinking of calling yourself, anyway?” Pepper asked a few minutes later, as an armoured suit joined her. It was the same design as Iron Woman, but closer to War Machine’s bulk. And the colours were silver and delicate blue. “Iron Kid? Iron Boy?”

“ _Ha ha_ ,” the kid deadpanned. “ _I haven’t thought about that yet. But hey, I like the new colours of your suit_.”

Pepper looked down at her gauntlets and admired the dark blue and purple highlights. “Yeah, me too,” she murmured. But the dim shine of the metal in the setting sun was slightly ominous and her feeling of foreboding returned. 

* * *

Toni knew the ship was going to crash. There was no way it wouldn’t, with the steering system out of whack and one engine trashed. 

“Peter, get your hand inside that!” She ordered. “Now remember, this was made for one really big driver, so we’re gonna have to pull at the same time. Ready?”

Turbulence hit them and both their masks snapped on as Peter nodded, gripping the joystick with all his super strength. 

The ship hit the ground of the red planet, skidding and bumping. The momentum was too much and if they didn’t protect themselves, they were going to be really badly hurt. But they couldn’t let go of the steering and-

Stephen stepped in between them. He thrust his hands out and Toni grinned as a golden web of light stretched over and around them. 

Then the ship actually crashed. And all three of them were knocked of balance. The shield protected them from the worst of it, but Toni found the breath knocked out of her as she landed on her back. Hard. 

“Hey, hey, hey, Toni!” Stephen's voice was calm, but frantic. 

She nodded quickly to let him know she was okay. 

“Are you hurt?” He asked, helping her to her feet. 

“No, I’m good,” she assured, holding on to him for a moment longer. “Where’s Pete?”

“Hey, guys.” Peter descended from the flyover, hanging upside down from a string of webbing. “If an alien invades me and I end up eating one of you guys, I’m sorry.”

“Okay, Peter?” She pointed a threatening finger at him. “I don’t want to hear a single more pop culture reference out of you for the rest of this trip, you get me?”

“I’m trying to say that something’s coming.”

Then the Guardians crashed through the broken wall. 

“What the fuck?” Peter Quill exclaimed, stopping short at the sight of them. 

“Quill?” Toni exclaimed. This was good, she told herself. They had _marginally_ better odds now. “Is Carol with you guys?”

“No, she went off on her own a few days after we left earth,” Mantis explained in her flute-like voice. “She said she wanted to check on her contacts. She didn’t mention how long she’d be or how to get in touch with her.”

“What are you doing here?” Drax asked. 

“Two of Thanos' people invaded earth,” Stephen explained. “We only had a few minutes warning from one of our friends who managed to escape an earlier confrontation alongside the Asgardians.”

“Asgardians?” Quill frowned. “Thor?”

“You knew him?” Toni asked. 

He raised an eye brow. “Big, blond, not that good-looking, yeah, I _know_ him.”

Peter made an affronted noise at the insult to Thor’s looks. They ignored him. Toni felt relief in her chest. Thor was _alive_! Bruce was gonna be overjoyed. 

“We found him stranded in space and saved his ass,” Quill continued. “His people had been massacred, though a second ship with the women and children had escaped. He said something about going to the dwarves to get a new weapon. Rocket and Groot left with him.”

“What about Loki?” Toni interrupted. She was desperate to see him. He was the only one of them who knew about Thanos, since Gamora was nowhere to be seen. 

Quill looked apologetic. “Thor mentioned a dead brother.”

Toni slumped. Loki...

Stephen placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort and Toni gathered herself. _He’s been dead before._

“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s plan.”


	4. Never Enough

The plan was supposed to be simple. Toni thought that they might actually have a chance if the Guardians could just take her a _little_ more seriously. But, it looked like Gamora was pretty much 88% of their impulse control. And she wasn’t here. Go figure. 

“Okay, look, Quill,” she sighed. “You have to get your team in line. We can’t afford to be-”

“Excuse me,” Mantis interrupted. “But does your friend often do that?”

Toni followed her finger, landed on Stephen hovering in the air, cross-legged, a few yards away from them. Green smoke drifted around him, his head twitching erratically like a seizure. 

The Stone was glowing. 

Worried, Toni jogged over to him, Peter and the Guardians at her heels. She wondered if it was safe to touch him. “Stephen?” She asked, concerned and soft. 

Maybe her voice pulled him out of the trance or he pulled himself out, either way, Stephen’s body jerked upright and he landed on the ground gracelessly, eyes flying open and gasping for a breath. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, come back. Come back to me,” she soothed. She stroked gently along his wrists, hoping to calm him. 

It seemed to have the opposite effect. 

Stephen almost flinched, restraining himself badly. He stared at her, gaze wide and face pale. 

“Stephen?” Toni asked, crowding into his space so the others couldn’t see his face in a moment of vulnerability. 

He swallowed. “I looked into the future,” he said, gravely, a little shell-shocked. “Checking the possible alternate timelines to find a solution.”

“How many did you see?” Quill asked, inching around Toni to be included in the conversation. 

Stephen almost glared at the half-human. “14,000,605,“ he answered primly. 

Toni felt dread pooling in her stomach. “And how many did we win?”

Stephen’s eyes bored into hers, sad and defeated, conflicting thoughts almost readable in the irises. “One, “ he said softly. 

Toni felt faint. _We are fucked._

* * *

“What happens if we can’t get the Stone out in time?” Maximoff asked. 

Vision shrugged elegantly. “Then we abandon our efforts and I join the fray. I would be able to contribute very well.”

“We can’t risk that, Vision,” Rogers said, shaking his head. “We need to keep the Stone safe.”

“And instead risk countless deaths?” Vision countered. “I think not, Captain. Thanos may be intent on wiping out half of life, but we are no better than him, if we allow thousands of soldiers to die, when we know it could have been prevented.”

“FRIDAY has control over the Iron Legion,” Bruce remembered. “And VERONICA, if we wake her, can commandeer the Hulkbuster.”

Rhodey nodded. “I’ll contact FRI. She’ll wake Veronica and activate the Legion. They should get here just in a couple hours if they leave soon. VERONICA will only need a few minutes, depending on where she is in orbit right now.”

Shuri looked giddy at the idea of a robot army controlled by a sentient-sapient AI. “I’ll tell my brother to raise the shield.”

_Maybe_ , Bruce thought. _M_ _aybe we have a chance_. 

* * *

The plan was set. Thanos would arrive soon enough. But Stephen’s stiff spine was bothering her. So she trekked up the wreckage of the donut-ship to where he was standing, Levi fluttering in the non-existent wind, and came to a stop at his side. 

“Stephen-”

“You know that Vibranium-Starkanium meld we were talking about?” He didn’t give her a chance to talk. “How it’s a conduit for all the Infinity Stones?” 

Toni valiantly didn’t sigh. “Yeah,” she said, humouring him for the moment. “What about it?”

“I know I called it intrusive and risky, but I actually think it could be useful,” he went on. “In the future. If we ever needed to use the Stones, for the next big bad or whatever, it might allow a human to wield one.”

Toni nodded. “Okay. We’ll look into that more when we get back on earth.” They stood in silence for some time. She could sense that Stephen was not going to talk about whatever was bothering him, so she thought about everything that could go wrong in the next twenty minutes instead. 

“You know,” she said conversationally. “The nanoparticles can create a gap between the arc reactor and the armour plates below it. If we hide the Stone there, it could be relatively safe. It might buy us more time and-”

Stephen turned pale. “No!” He snapped. With a quick series of hand movements, the amulet glowed briefly. And Toni knew he must have hidden it as he wanted. 

But she was taken aback at the outburst. “Stephen?” She asked cautiously. She lay a hand over his arm, trying to comfort him. “What are you not telling me?”

He turned to look at her, face carefully blank. “Remember when I promised that I’ll never leave?” He asked slowly. 

Toni nodded, overcome with the nonsensical urge to claw away the mask over his features. She’d do it too, if it weren’t for the certainty of hurting Stephen. “Yeah,” she confirmed suspiciously. 

He swallowed. “Let me amend that: I promise I’ll always come back.”

Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn’t right. _At all_. “Stephen?”

He kissed her before she could arrange her thoughts, kissed her hard and fast, tongue sweeping into her mouth with desperation, teeth clacking and dragging harshly over her bottom lip. His hand trembled over her jaw so bad that they had to be hurting, but his grip remained tight, long fingers digging into her skin. 

Then he was stepping back and for a second, there was naked hurt and grief in his eyes. Then it was gone. 

Toni stared. Any other time, a kiss like that would have turned into her dragging Stephen inside the nearest empty room. Right now, though, all she could do was hope she was wrong, that the kiss hadn’t been the goodbye it felt like it was. 

Stephen looked up. “He’s on his way,” he murmured.

* * *

Chaos descended in the form of an army from outer space. Clint had seen some things in life. But even the New York battle hadn’t terrified him on the scale that this did. Wakanda's impressive barrier had held, but only for so long. Rogers and King T’Challa had led the charge. 

Then it was a free for all. Aliens, alien tech, alien guns, alien ships... Clint had to wonder, as he shot arrow after arrow from his perch in the forest trees, accompanied by a few of the Dora, whether their efforts were going to make a difference in the end. Even with all the new Avengers and the entirety of the Wakandan army, including the tribes who lived on the outskirts, they were still so short. From what he could see from his vantage point, it was three aliens to one human. The Hulk, Vision and Maximoff were the heaviest hitters, along with Toni’s VERONICA, who was apparently in control of the Hulkbuster. 

But would it be _enough_? 

No sooner than Clint had that thought, the sky opened. A beam of bright rainbow lights struck down on earth, burning the soil. At the same time, the sound of repulsors filled the air, hundred of thousands of them. A swarm of robots, built almost exactly like Iron Woman, entered the battle at the same time as Thor, with two obviously alien companion. 

“Bring me Thanos!” Thor bellowed, electricity crackling around every inch of him, the axe in his hand swinging menacingly, looking every inch the god he was. 

FRIDAY’S voice crackled through the comms, “ _Hello, Avengers. I do wish the circumstances were better, but for what it’s worth, on behalf of Boss, I present: the Iron Legion_.”

The Hulk's triumphant roar carried across the vast battlefield and Clint allowed himself a smile. Maybe it _would_ be enough. 

* * *

It went exactly as he’d planned. Stephen knew this for a fact; he was counting. For the next ten minutes, Stephen was in total control. 

_4, 3, 2, 1..._

Nebula arrived, landed on her feet, blades extended and teeth bared in a hiss. 

Then... _6, 5..._

Quill glared, eyes glassy with angry tears. 

_4, 3..._

“Quill, don’t!” Toni panted, as she and Peter tugged at the glove. “Keep it together!” She didn’t know it was futile. 

_2, 1..._

Quill punched and it all went to hell. 

_4, 3..._

Stephen landed on his back, the breath knocked out of him. 

_2, 1..._

Toni stopped the wave of purple light, her shield working a miracle that no sorcerer could have. 

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6..._

Thanos broke the moon to throw at Toni. Toni shattered the pieces to dust, growling at the enemy, channelling the fear Stephen knew was feeling into anger and annoyance instead. 

_5, 4, 3, 2..._

Thanos said her name, admitted to respect. 

_1..._

“My only curse is you,” Toni said in a near whisper. 

Stephen didn’t have it in him to count for this. He struggled to an upright position, nerves singing in pain all over his body. It couldn’t compare to the death march of his heartbeat. 

Toni was the last one standing; that had always been her destiny. She slashed and stabbed, punched and kicked, her mind obviously working furiously to keep reconstructing her armour as she needed it. She drew blood. And Thanos only laughed. 

Because it wasn’t enough. 

Toni kept fighting, her movements growing sluggish as her injuries appeared too fast for Extremis. The armour kept shifting over her body, faster than the human eye could see, but not fast enough. A blade was formed, a few feet in length, an extension of her arm. There were only so many nanoparticles her blood could carry. 

Thanos snapped the blade. 

Stephen wanted to look away, wanted to close his eyes, wanted to reverse time and change his mind, choose a different future. But this was the ~~only~~ best one. And he owed it to Toni to watch what happened next. He deserved the pain of watching it. 

Toni’s own tech slid neatly into her abdomen, left exposed, along with her face, neck and thighs. 

Stephen felt his heart break along with it. 

Thanos walked Toni back by the blade connecting them, until she was half-collapsed on a rock, and pulled it out, throwing it aside and placing his large hand on her head in a gesture of pseudo-gentleness. She tried to glare defiantly at him, even with her face pale as she lost blood, choking on her own breath in pain. 

Stephen wondered if she thought she was sparing him grief by not looking towards him. 

“I hope they will remember you,” Thanos murmured. He raised his hand. The Stones glowed, casting Toni in a faint ethereal light. 

It was time. 

“Wait!” He called out. 

Now, Toni did look at him. Realization dawned on her face, along with horror. 

“Spare her life,” Stephen bargained- and wasn’t that hilariously ironic? The Ancient One was probably laughing at him from somewhere in the cosmos. “And I’ll give you the Stone.”

“No,” Toni tried to say. “Don’t... Stephen.”

Neither of them paid her any heed.   
Thanos looked at him, considering. The Infinity Gauntlet was pointed at him. “No tricks.”

Stephen shook his head softly. “No tricks,” he lied and plucked the Stone from the stars, careful not to touch it. 

“No.” Toni's voice was weak, broken, defeated. 

It was Stephen’s turn to avoid her gaze. 

The Time Stone settled into it’s spot and Thanos glowed with strength. And then he was gone.

Toni tried to catch her breath and she looked at Stephen with tired eyes. “Why would you do that?” She sounded like she hardly cared about the answer. 

Stephen breathed in deeply. The future was no longer in his control. All he could do was hope. “We’re in the endgame now.” It was another promise, even if Toni didn’t see it yet.

* * *

Thor saw Thanos snap his fingers and, in his imagination, he heard Loki’s voice hiss, “Fool!”

_Forgive me,_ Thor mourned, as he heard the sudden death-like silence settle over the battlefield. 

* * *

The armour pieced away from her body as she landed at the top of the Tower. Once she was free of it, Pepper walked further into the penthouse, where they were staying in the penthouse. 

Happy greeted her with a smile and a kiss. “Edward is asleep,” he told her. 

She laughed. “Thank god. After a whole evening of Harley, I don’t have the energy to deal with any more kids.”

Happy raises both eyebrows. “The kid didn’t leave for the farmhouse?” 

Pepper snorted. “Sneaked off the plane. Anyway, I made him swear to follow orders from the police captain. So he’s picking up my slack for the rest of the night. I’ll go back tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, okay.” He gave her another small peck. “Can you set the table? I just need to check in with Security once.”

With a nod, Pepper made her way to the kitchen. Then her phone rang. It was Harley. 

She picked up, cradled it between her ear and shoulder. “Hey, what is it?”

“ _Pepper, something’s happening_ ,” Harley spoke fast, sounding panicked and too _young_. “ _I don’t know what, how, but everyone’s just-_ ”

His voice cut off. The sound of something heavy hitting the ground. And nothing. Silence. 

Pepper felt very afraid. 

She turned towards the balcony, where Happy and Toni both had the habit of standing to take calls. 

“Honey, I’m sorry, I need to go back and check on-”

She stopped. Froze. Stared. 

Happy wasn’t there. And a pile of ash lay neatly on the floor. 

* * *

Toni watched, heart beating so fast that she could barely feel it, as Quill and his team faded away. 

She moved to Stephen’s side without thinking, Peter right on her heels. “Don’t you dare,” she begged. “Not you too.” She cradled his face between her palms, staring into his beautiful eyes and trying not to cry. 

Stephen had never looked more sorrowful than in that moment. He covered her hands with his own, much larger ones. “Toni.” 

She could almost see him bite back his words, change his mind on what he should say. 

“I’m sorry.” And then he was gone, apology hanging in the space he left behind. And Levi, who flit around unhappily without her master. 

For a few seconds, Toni couldn’t think.

“Miss Stark?” 

Then her mind kicked back into gear. She turned as Peter stared at his hands, then at her. “I don’t know what’s happening.” 

He stumbled towards her, fear making him uncoordinated, and Toni had to catch him, she was always going to catch him, him and her other kids, she would always catch them when they fell. 

“Ma'am, I don’t... Miss Stark, please... I don’t...” He stammered, words slurring with pain and terror, the _ma’am_ sounding too much like something else that had Toni biting back a sob, trying to whisper platitudes as he clutched at her, face buried in her shoulder. 

But that wasn’t enough. Peter collapsed, his legs turning to dust, and Toni fell with him, protecting him as best as she could, with one hand cupping the back of his head, the other soothing his hair, the side of his face, like she could keep him together if she focused hard enough. 

Then he quieted, eyes locking onto hers with the desperate kind of seriousness that was reserved for last words and should never be used by a damn kid. “I’m sorry.”

Then he was gone too. 

Toni almost pitched forward, stopping her own fall just in time. Her fingers buried themselves in dust and she sat back on her haunches, brought them up to see properly. They were black with ash. Ashes. Peter and Stephen’s ashes. 

She was, only vaguely aware of a tear escaping down her cheek, of Nebula's hopeless words, of Levi settling over her shoulders. She felt numb. 

The sun rose on the horizon of the abandoned planet. 

Toni had never hated the sun more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry?


	5. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait. I have no excuse.

“It’s over,” Rogers whispered, as the final reports came in. Clint was still numb. Had been since Elizabeth Stark had called his number and told him that she was alone, that Laura, Lila, Cooper, and Nate were all gone, that Harley wasn’t answering his phone either. They were all gone. Even his two year old Nate. All of them. Dust in the wind.

The phone rang. Since they were all in the Compound, FRIDAY picked up call for them.

“ _Rhodey_ ,” Pepper’s voice rang through, hoarse and thick. Nobody dared to ask if she was okay.

“Hey, Pep,” the Colonel answered. “What’s the status?”

“ _One of the bots picked up Harley’s armour_ ,” she reported. “ _You’ve already gotten the spreadsheet for casualties?_ ”

“Yeah, we just finished reading through them.”

“ _Okay_.” There was a short pause. “ _Okay. Bye._ ” The line disconnected.

Bruce buried his head in his hands, sneaked a quick look at Thor, who was staring off into the middle distance.

“Right now, the only things we can do- what we should do- is relieve the survivors,” Rhodey reasoned. “And then...”

Bruce straightened. “You guys get on that. I’m going to find Toni.”

“Can you do that?” Thor finally spoke up. With Loki dead, the god had no one left to confide in but Bruce and Toni. He needed them both.

Bruce nodded, understanding all that Thor couldn’t say. “I have access to all of Toni’s tech, too. With Stephen Strange absent, Rhodey and Pepper busy, I can try to find her.” He tipped his head back, facing the ceiling. “FRIDAY, how far do Toni’s satellites reach?”

“ _ **Boss upgraded it with what she learned from the Guardian's tech. But we never had the chance to test any of it.”**_

“Well, we’re going to test it now,” Bruce muttered. “Hey, Rocket,” he spoke to the raccoon, who hadn’t uttered a single word yet. “You said half of your team was heading to Thanos? Can you use the upgraded systems to find them? Chances are, Toni headed the same way.”

Rocket nodded, still silent.

“Great. FRIDAY, get on that.” Bruce hoped none of his fear was visible. He felt odd, taking charge like this, but he could tell Rhodey and Thor needed a break. Clint was in no condition to lead, and Bruce wasn’t about to give any sort of authority to Rogers or Romanoff.

“Bruce,” Rogers started, hesitating. “What if none of this works?”

“Then Earth will have lost it’s best defender.” Clint raised his head, bloodshot eyes boring into Rogers. “And then we’ll be more fucked than we are. So, you better pray that it does work, Captain.”

* * *

“Almost done, Stark,” Nebula assured briskly, as she stitched up Toni’s wound.

Toni didn’t answer, just let the android do as she wished. Hell, she could kill Toni if she wanted. Toni just didn’t have it in her to care anymore.

“It is finished,” Nebula announced, helping Toni stand up. “But you cannot put any pressure on it, not for a few weeks, at least.”

Toni nodded.

“We’ve got to get to Earth,” Nebula continued. “But this ship needs repairs.” She turned frantic eyes to Toni. “Stark, can you repurpose the Milano enough to get us through a month of space travel?”

Toni stared back blankly, nodding without thought, pretending she could see something other than Peter and Stephen turning to dust, every time she closed her eyes.

* * *

“The world needs it’s heroes. I agree. But until Toni Stark returns, the best we can do is care for those in need and honour the ones we’ve lost.” Pepper stood straight-backed and proud, even with her red-rimmed eyes and parched lips.

The authorities hated her. The public worshipped her.

* * *

Repairing the ship was doable, but not for the journey they were attempting. It was too damaged. But there was nothing else to do all day on an empty ship. There were only so many silly little games Toni could teach Nebula.

“Hey, Miss Potts, or Rhodey, or whoever finds this recording.” Toni sighed, leaning back against the wall as the blue light from the metal mask shone over her. “Please, don’t post this on social media, because it’s gonna be a tear-jerker.” She paused. “I don't actually know if you guys are getting this, or if... How many of you are... I just hope...” She sighed again. 

“Anyway, it’s day twenty...” She frowned, tried to remember. God, she was supposed to be good at math. “One. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Food and water ran out four days ago.” Oh, right, that was why her vision was going hazy and the shadows looked like they were dancing. “The ship should run forty-eight hours more than what we originally calculated, since we figured out how to... Reverse the ion charge, and that should be enough to reach earth. But I don’t think it matters, because... Oxygen runs out tomorrow morning. And then that’ll be it.”

Toni could feel it now, could feel the burn in her lungs from having to really work for air. “I think I should go to sleep,” she mumbled. “Hopefully, I won’t wake up. I mean.. All things considered... I’d rather die... Or fall asleep, if you look at it a different way... I’d rather be dreaming... About... Well... I think everyone knows.” She swallowed, opening her eyes. She wondered when they’d fallen close. “Stephen...” She licked her lips, not that it helped. “If you’re out there, somewhere...” She couldn’t think about Peter, about how she’d failed him, not yet. “Please know, that when I drift off... I’ll be dreaming about you.” She sighed, reached out to the mask. “Because it’s always you.”

* * *

They were scattered all over the Compound, each busy in their different ways. Rhodey and Pepper were also staying there, for sometime, both needing to get away from the eyes of the public for some time.

Then FRIDAY alerted them. “ ** _Some sort of vessel has just entered earth’s airspace. I’m identifying it as the Milano._** ”

They all ran out, frantic, worried, eager. The night air was cool and relieving as they looked up at sky, watching the bright, glowing figure of Carol Danvers escort the Milano to the ground.

She smiled at them as the glow faded, but her face was lined with stress and worry.

Then the ramp opened. Nebula stepped out and, balancing on her arms, was Toni Stark.

For a few seconds, they all stood frozen in shock, as she struggled down the slope, shrugging off Nebula's arm when she reached the bottom.

She stumbled almost immediately, but Rhodey was there instantly, bypassing Rogers, and she collapsed into his arms, shaking. He wanted to cry as he hugged her. He could feel her bones, her ribs, the knobs of her spine and her cheeks were hollowed, lips so dry they looked white.

“I lost the kid,” she mumbled and it sounded like she was in shock. “Peter, Stephen...”

Pepper reached them. “Oh, god, thank god,” she cried, voice breaking as she threw her arms around them both.

Rhodey tightened his own hold, as the two women broke down over their shared grief.

* * *

“What’s up with him?” Toni asked, pointing at Thor. She was in a wheelchair, hooked up to an IV, sunglasses perched stubbornly on her nose. She was wearing a grey robe and it only emphasized her frailty.

“He thinks it’s his fault,” Rocket answered.

She only hummed, her eyes flitting to Clint, who was leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

“Toni,” Steve started, as she stared up at the holograms of all the missing people. “You fought him-”

“Who told you that?” She interrupted him. Even through the tinted glasses, he could feel the force of her glare. “I didn’t fight him, no- he wiped my face with a fucking moon and then my Bleeker Street magician boyfriend gave away the Stone. There was no fight.”

Steve ignored the stabbing ache in his heart. “Did he gave you any clues? Coordinates?”

She didn’t reply.

“Toni, please, I need you to focus-”

“And I _needed_ you to trust me,” Toni cut in, voice sharp and hurt. “Remember that, huh? I needed you to trust me, because I saw this coming. I knew we wouldn’t be ready unless we took some measures, but you wouldn’t even listen! You remember that, right? I said that we’d need a suit of armour around the world whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not, but you said _no_ because we’d deal with it together. I said ‘ _We’ll lose_ ’. You said ' _We’ll do that together too_.’ Well, guess what, Cap, we lost and _I_ was left up there _alone_.”

She was breathing hard and Steve could barely breathe past the lump in his throat.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Her head tipped down, just enough to stare him down over the sunglasses. Shakily, she stood and ripped off the IV, ignoring Colonel Rhodes' protests. She approached him and Steve felt trapped between her hard gaze and the table at his back.

“You’re _sorry_?” She demanded hotly. “ _Now_?” Her trembling hands came up to grip the collars of his shirt, twisting so he felt slightly choked. “My kids are dead,” she snarled. “One begged me to save him and apologized for something that was nowhere near his fault. The other died alone and scared and no one around to comfort him. So don’t. Tell. Me. That you’re sorry!” She released him, staggering backwards.

She dropped to the ground, breathing hard and Steve was glad that Rhodes and Danvers were at her side immediately, because he wasn’t sure he could have really moved just then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had to make some changes to both monologues, the one in the Milano and the one to Rogers, from what it originally was in the movie. I hope it worked and you guys didn't mind the change. :) 
> 
> Stay safe and take care of your health, everybody.


	6. Aim For The Stars

Toni woke to the sound of beeping machines and medical equipment. She knew before opening her eyes that that she was in the Compound's med bay. There was a soft warmth draped over her that felt familiar. And another warm body snuggled into her side.

Opening her eyes slowly, she found the Cloak of Levitation’s dark red form resting on her torso.

“Hey, Levi,” she whispered.

The Cloak fluttered lightly, one hem reaching up to caress her clavicle.

“Thought you were still hiding out in the Milano.”

When the Cloak didn’t give any comprehensive reply, she twisted her head to the side a bit. Pepper was asleep in a chair beside her bed, her one year old son snoring away in her lap. And Elizabeth was aggressively cuddling her, also asleep.

Pepper stirred. “Hey! Are you okay? Any pain?”

Tonight tried to offer her a smile. It was weak. “I think I’m okay. What happened?”

“Your body was malnutritioned. Extremis was running on fumes. If we hadn’t gotten the IV back in you in time, Bruce says it would have begun to eat into the cells.”

“Enhanced leukaemia,” Toni muttered.

Pepper nodded. “You collapsed. Yelling at Rogers took a lot out of you. Rhodey caught you and Carol carried you back. Nobody would let any of the Rogues get anywhere near you.”

Toni swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. Did she really deserve everybody’s care and attention so much? Did she really deserve their love?

“Don’t do that, Toni.” Pepper, as always, knew exactly what she was thinking. “This wasn’t your fault. This was nobody’s fault. You can’t take the fall for this.”

Toni nodded. Intellectually, she knew her friend was right. It was just hard to believe.

“Where is everybody else?” She asked.

Pepper sighed. “They got a lock on Thanos' location, so they decided to go to him. They’ve been gone a few days now. According to Rocket's estimation, they should be back in another hour or so.”

“What are their chances of success?”

Pepper didn’t answer. Toni didn’t really need her to.

She started to get up. Lizzie stirred, but Toni shushed her back to sleep.

Pepper, amazingly, didn’t try to stop her, like she knew Toni wouldn’t be able to rest anymore.

Keeping a tight hold on Mason, she watched with a keen eye as Toni sat up, setting her feet on the ground.

The Cloak Of Levitation twirled around her slowly, settling on her shoulders.

“Help me to my room?” She asked softly.

Levi fluttered and gently guided her up the out of the med bay, up the stairs, to the room she’d shared with Stephen.

Pepper followed behind at a careful pace.

The second Toni stepped in, grief hit her like a brick to the face. The room was covered in signs of life. Her tablet tossed on the pillow. Stephen’s gloves haphazardly thrown over the desk. The bed made, but slightly rumpled. Photos on the mantel.

Toni’s throat clogged up. She sank onto the mattress, eyes closed to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

“Pep, I need a minute,” she pleaded softly.

After a moment of hesitation, she heard Pepper’s retreating footsteps.

With Levi wrapped around her, she lay down with her head on Stephen’s pillow, curling in on herself, and cried.

000000000000

The knock on the door woke her up. She hadn’t even known she’d cried herself to sleep.

Rhodey was standing there, watching her, with a look of utter defeat and hopelessness on her face.

“What happened?” Toni asked. She already knew it hadn’t gone anywhere in the ballpark of ‘ _good_ ’.

“Thanos had destroyed the Stones,” he said, grim-faced. “So that no one would be able to undo the first Snap.” He paused. “Thor killed him. He doesn’t know what else to do anymore.”

Toni wished she couldn’t gear the silent request hidden there: _Please. You’re the only one who can do anything now._

Except she couldn’t. There wasn’t anything she could do. Not to bring them back, at least.

Her eyes fell on the photo frames. Her whole family, everyone she loved.

She couldn’t afford to despair now.

“Go down,” she told him. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Rhodey left and Toni made herself get washed up and clean. She wasn’t in the mood to change clothes just yet, so she just did her hair up in a tight bun and walked downstairs to the war room in her hospital gown.

Everybody looked up at her, looking defeated. Lost.

Toni paused for a second. Then she walked up to the table.

“FRIDAY,” she announced. “I need you to prepare lists of every missing person, by country and by state. Then I need you to get Everett on the line for me.”

“ _ **Yes, Boss**_.”

Sure enough, a hologram popped up. Ev looked exhausted. “ _Annie_ ,” he sighed in greeting, relief flickering briefly on his face at the sight of her. “ _We’re fucked_.”

Straight to the point. “I’m calling to tell you that I’m sending a few of the team into international land. I’ll send you the details afterwards, but please make sure they don’t come across any resistance. The team members will take responsibility for anything that goes wrong.”

Everett nodded. “ _I’ll see to that_.”

“And arrange a meeting with whatever remains of the WSC. We need a new Council.”

“ _You got it_.”

“Thanks.” The call ended. “FRIDAY, get all our business associates and scientist acquaintances ready for another meeting.”

“ _ **Of course, Boss**_.”

With everyone watching her, Toni felt a sense of deja vu, like the day she’d briefed the entire New Avengers team. Stephen had been with her that day. She was mostly alone now.

“Rhodey, get your CO on the line. Tell him to dispatch Army personnel. There’s gonna be an outbreak of violence and crime, not to mention people trying to make off with alien tech. The police won’t be able to keep them in line by themselves. Tell them to keep correspondence with FRIDAY. She’ll lend a hand with the Iron Legion.”

Rhodey nodded, sharp and sure.

“Romanoff, you’re in charge of the women and kids' shelter houses. I’ll put you in touch with JOCASTA and someone else from SI.” She hoped nobody from SWORD was going to give her trouble.

Romanoff made a curt motion of agreement, her face lined with tiredness. She suddenly looked her age.

“Rogers, I’m getting you to the media. Keep up their spirits, talk them out of the hole, therapy type thing. You might have to do a round of actual local talk groups, too.”

Rogers looked hesitant to speak up. “You think anyone will want to listen to me?” He asked, softly.

Her next words burned on their way out of her mouth. “I showed the public the truth so they would hate you. I can tell a few well-placed lies to make them trust you again, at the very least.”

Rogers gave in.

“Thor.”

She waited for him to look at her. His eyes were dark, stormy, like the thunderclouds he could summon had collected and congealed in his irises.

“Thor, I need you to get a hold of yourself, buddy,” she snapped. She was being too rough, she knew it. But they didn’t have time for comfort, not now. “Your people need you. They’re depending on you to give them a home, to keep them safe. If you want your brother and your friends’ sacrifices to mean something, then you better shape up and become the King they died for. Do you hear me?”

To her surprise, Thor nodded, eyes slipping close as he whispered, “Yes, Antonia.”

“Bruce,” she said, turning to her friend. “Do what you do best. Go around the world. Help as many people as you can. Take my jet.”

“You sure you don’t need me here?” He asked.

Toni shook her head.

Everybody filed out.

“Clint, wait!”

The archer stopped. He was stiff, like he’d been ever since Toni had arrived on earth.

She walked up to him, placing a hand between his shoulder blades. After a few seconds, he relaxed and turned around, nearly pitching forward. She was still weak so she stumbled a little, but caught herself in time, holding his weight. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Clint shook his head, silent tears wetting her pale blue gown. “Me too.”

Maybe out of all of them, Toni and Clint understood each other best. They’d both lost not just the people they loved, but their kids too.

“What do I do?” He asked.

Toni closed her eyes, hating herself for what she was about to ask of him. “Go with Bruce. There’s gonna be a power vacuum everywhere, with half the world gone. I need you to make sure those vacuums aren’t filled by the wrong people. You knew an Agent 13 back in SHIELD?”

Clint nodded. “Agent Carter, yeah.”

“I’m sending her with you.”

Clint drew back, a thin smile on his face. “Assassination, then. Back to my roots, I guess.”

Toni drew into herself. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

He laughed, hollow. “Don’t be. Killing a few bad guys might be the only thing left to make me feel better.”

He walked away, leaving Toni alone. She stood there, quiet and forlorn.

She had to get ready, had to prepare herself for the upcoming ordeals. She had a world to rebuild.


	7. Ticking Clocks

**18 months later**

The lights scattered, grew dark. Everything seemed sped up. There was a sharp pull in his chest. His stomach dropped. 

Scott landed on a concrete slab, his back slamming into the hard surface with a force that he felt even through the semi-padded suit. 

“What the hell?" He gasped. There was no one around. He sat up, struggling to regain his balance. Looking around, he couldn’t see Hope, Hank, or Janet. He wasn’t even on the roof top. He, the van with him, was in some sort of warehouse. Or storage facility. 

What the fuck? 

As he staggered out into the sun, the death-like stillness of everything around him gave him pause. The roads were empty, the lawns were silent... It was like a ghost town. 

No. It _was_ a ghost town. The tall black marble memorial stones were proof of that. 

So Thanos had done what they’d feared he would. He’d come, they’d fought, they’d lost. And Scott had been living in a limbo all this time.

Cassie looked at him like she’d seen a ghost. Jim was okay, at work. Maggie was gone. 

Scott hugged his little girl to himself, trying not to cry. The eight-year old couldn’t tell him much. 

“Tell Jim I dropped by and that I’m going to see the Avengers, okay?” He instructed. 

She nodded, tearful, but precocious, knowing she needed to let him go again. “Okay, Daddy.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Bye, peanut.”

He needed to get to Toni. From what he could glean from newspapers and media, no one knew where exactly she was staying, even though she’d been in the public eye near constantly. His best bet was the Compound. 

The area was desolate when he got there, almost no signs of life. But FRIDAY must have still been connected to the place, because the gates slid open for him easily. 

Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers welcomed him. 

“Where’s Toni?” He demanded. “Where’s James?”

Rogers flinched. “Buc- James was lost in the Snap,” he said, voice thin and hoarse, like he’d been talking for a long while. “Toni... She’s not in the city. Or here.”

“Where is she?” Scott asked. 

“She’s got a lakeside cabin about a day’s drive from here,” Romanoff told him. “With Pepper, her baby, and Elizabeth Stark."

"Okay, well, we need to go there.”

The redhead hummed. “No can do. We have no way of contacting her and if we show up on her doorstep for no good reason, FRIDAY will not hesitate to shoot.”

Scott blinked. “Well, this is a good reason, so let’s go.”

“First you talk to us,” Rogers said firmly. 

Scott felt his hackles rise. “Okay, seriously! Unless either of you have a degree in quantum physics I don’t know about, I don’t see the point in talking to you.”

* * *

Toni walked around Pepper, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hey, what are you making?”

She rolled her eyes, wearing an indulgent smile. “You'll find out in a few minutes. Will you get the kids, please?”

“Uh, plural?” Toni asked, feigning horror. “Don't tell me Lizzie has the baby.”

“Hey, she's your daughter.”

“Oh fuck,” Toni groaned, hurrying out the door. There was a tent set up in the garden in front of the house. She walked towards it, easily able to hear the sound of muffled laughter. “Lizzie!” She called. “Step on out, come on. It’s time for lunch.”

Lizzie clambered outside, hair slightly ruffled. “Hey, mom,” she greeted, with a stifled grin. 

Toni raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Where’s Edward?”

Lizzie’s grin only grew. “Uh, well...”

There was another little giggle from inside the tent, then Levi floated out, flattened into a carpet and carrying a two year old baby. 

Toni very nearly yelped. “Levi!” She scolded. “I said no carrying kids.”

The Cloak of Levitation may as well have pouted as she carefully lifted the baby into her arms. “Edward Mason Hogan,” she said seriously, solemnly meeting his blue eyes. “You are going to be such trouble when you grow up.”

“He was getting cranky, mum,” Lizzie insisted. 

“Oh, don’t think you’re off the hook, Elizabeth,” she reprimanded. “Now come on, Aunt Pepper says lunch is ready.”

As they began to walk towards the cabin, FRIDAY spoke in Toni’s head. 

_**-Boss, I have a car approaching the house.-** _

She frowned. _ **-Who is it?-**_

FRIDAY almost seemed to growl. _**-I am identifying Steve Rogers and Natalia Romanova. However, I believe Scott Lang is present as well.-**_

Scott? The name had Toni’s head spinning. How could Scott be back alone? How did... 

The car appeared and as the three passengers stepped out, Toni felt herself stiffen almost instinctively. It had been over a year since she’d dealt with either Romanoff or Rogers face to face. She’d been getting used to it before the Snap, but... Without Stephen, she just didn’t have the strength for it. 

Keeping them in her line of sight, she subtly covered Lizzie and Edward from their eyes. “Take him inside,” she instructed, handing the baby to her daughter. “Just let Pep know. Tell her I’ll handle it.”

Lizzie, ten years old and just as much of a lion heart as her brother had been, had fire in her eyes. “Will you make them leave?” She asked, voice hard and full of sullen loathing. 

Toni shook her head. “Not yet, kiddo. Gotta see why they’re here.”

Lizzie sighed, but went inside the house without an argument. 

And Toni turned to face her guests. 

“Hey, Scott,” she greeted, smiling despite herself. 

Scott jogged up to her, grabbing her in a hug. “James is gone,” he half-sobbed into her shoulder. 

Toni felt the phantom ache of pain, a pain that had become a constant companion. She patted his back comfortingly. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. She held him for a minute, giving him the time to compose himself, while studiously ignoring Romanoff and Rogers. 

Scott was the one to let go. “We need to talk,” he said, eyes solemn. 

* * *

The past year and a half had been both kind and not to Toni, in equal measures. There were no dark circles under her eyes- she looked healthy, with crows feet etched at the corners of her eyes, proof that she’d been smiling, not wallowing in misery. But there was also a bone-deep weariness emanating from her and there was no illusion of trust or fondness when she looked at them. It didn't help that the flying red cloak had turned into a scarf and eas wrapped around her neck like protection, it's hems flaring up every now and then. 

Steve felt an odd sense of nostalgia as he looked at her. He wasn’t sure he was in love with her anymore, or if he ever really had been. But he couldn’t deny that he still missed her, anymore than he could deny being undeserving of her friendship. 

The last 18 months had given him a lot of time to think too. 

“Look, Toni, I know it sounds crazy...” Scott was saying. “But come on, we can at least give it a shot.”

“We really can’t,” Toni said, leaning back in her chair, casual as you please. “You think I haven’t considered time travel? Of course, I did.”

“And?” Steve asked, resting against the wooden railing. 

Toni kept her eyes on Scott. “Quantum fluctuation will mess with the Planck Scale, which will then trigger the Deutsch Proposition.”

Nat sighed. “Meaning...?”

“Meaning we won’t be coming home.”

Scott raised a hand, pointed at himself. “I did. And Janet van Dyne.”

“You both got lucky,” Toni corrected. “Getting stuck in the quantum realm is one thing. Actually navigating it? Trying to manipulate it? We’ll either get lost, get killed, or go crazy. Any which way, the result remains the same.”

“Toni, we just need to _try_ ,” Steve implored. 

Toni finally looked at him, fire lighting up in her gaze. “You’re not listening to me,” she spoke with forced calm. “I have tried. It’s not going to work. And even if it did...” She sighed. “Even if it did, I wouldn’t want to risk it.”

Scott made a shocked noise. “Toni! How could you- Why?”

“Say we get the stones, that this... Time heist works. What then?” She demanded. “What, we snap our own fingers?”

“Bring back everyone we lost,” Nat confirmed. 

Toni gave an incredulous laugh. “Do you realize how flawed that plan is?” She asked. “The multitude of things that could go wrong? Or even if everything goes perfectly, the aftermath? The world has finally started to move on, it’s finally healing. You want to start a whole new slew of problems?”

“Toni, there are so many people who have lost everything-”

“Don’t you pull that card, Rogers,” she snapped, jaw clenched. “Everybody lost people. _Everyone_. And if you think that I don’t want them back just as much...” She took a deep breath. “But the planet is my first priority. And I can’t risk everything we’ve built in 18 months on a plan that has only 12% chances of success.”

For a few minutes, they were all silent. Then, Toni sighed again. “Look if you’re really set on trying this... Bruce and Clint are back in town for a while. I’ll have FRIDAY set up a rendezvous between you guys. Talk to Bruce.”

“This isn’t Bruce’s field,” Natasha pointed out. 

“Technically, it’s not my field either,” Toni pointed out. “I’m a mechanical engineer with a degree in chemistry, not a quantum physicist.”

“No, but thermonuclear astrophysics was never your field either,” Steve reminded softly. 

Toni met his eyes. Something in her gaze softened. “I’ll admit, I may have missed that sort of giddy optimism,” she said quietly, though Steve was under no delusion that she was talking about him. “But I mean it. I can’t help you guys.”

Scott seemed to deflate. He gave Toni a tight hug, whispering something in her ear, to which she nodded.

“You know Bruce won’t actually be able to help us, right?” Nat muttered as they walked back to the car. “We need Toni.”

“I know,” Steve replied. “But we’re not forcing her into this, or pressuring her. It wouldn’t work anyway, but we’re not even going to try.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest that,” she assured. “I’m just saying... Be prepared to give up.”

Steve laughed hollow. 

* * *

As Bruce talked to Steve and Scott, Clint stood outside, silent and solemn. Natasha had joined him a couple minutes ago. Neither of them had acknowledged each other, but Clint knew who was going to break first and it wasn’t going to be him, the trained sniper. 

Sure enough, Natasha took a deep breath. “Are you ever going to forgive me?” She asked. 

Clint scuffed the ground with the toe of his show, ran a careful hand through his hair. “I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “Maybe someday. Truth be told, I don’t have much room for anything more than anger these days.”

Natasha, he knew, understood that in a deeply personal way. She simply nodded and stayed by his side until it was time to go. 

* * *

It was Toni’s turn to wash the dishes. She was grateful for the distraction- Scott’s words from the day before was still at the forefront of her thoughts, right where she didn’t want them to be. She hadn’t even stepped into the lab built under the cabin, knowing it would only result in a return of desperation and grief and helplessness. So she washed the dishes, rinsed them, wiped them and resolutely did not think about time fucking travel. 

Until her hand slipped awkwardly and some water landed on the photo frames adorning the open cabinet. With a _tsk_ of her tongue, she put aside the last dish and reached for the first frame, wiping it down quickly. The photo itself didn’t quite register until she was done. When it did, she couldn’t bring herself to put it back. 

It was of Harley and Peter, both making bunny ears for each other, Peter’s semi-fake Stark internship certificate held between them. Toni had clicked the photo, with Stephen trying to ruin her focus with soft kisses on her shoulder. They’d all been laughing that day and the memory is preserved in the wide smiles of the two kids in the photo, so jubilant that they were ignorant of the fact that the certificate was upside down. 

Toni stared at it for a minute, letting the love and guilt all fill her up. Then sudden inspiration struck her and she cursed silently. 

Pepper had put the kids to bed. So Toni quietly, almost reluctantly, went down the stairs to her lab. “FRIDAY?” She called, as she walked in. “Bring up the Time Traveller file. Rename it Time Heist.” She hadn’t admitted it earlier, but Scott’s name for their plan was actually pretty cool. “We’re gonna give this another shot.”

FRIDAY was quick to respond, as always, and without a hint of smugness, bless her. “ _Sure thing, Boss_.” Holograms lit up the dark space. 

Toni chewed her lips thoughtfully, inspecting the diagram. It would be a long shot, she knew. But she wouldn’t be able to sleep without trying it out at least once. _Just once_ , she told herself strictly. 

“Show me the mod inspiration, whichever sim worked out last time.”

The diagram changed, bringing up a Mobius Strip. 

“Invert it. Try it upside down, mirror, whatever.”

“ _Just a second_ ,” FRIDAY assured, the model zipping through design changed rapidly. 

“And take the eigenvalue,” Toni instructed. “Consider particle factoring and add in spectral decomp.”

FRIDAY continued in silence. 

Toni sighed, didn’t bother to think ahead. She couldn’t let herself to hope. “Don’t worry if it doesn’t work out, baby. I’m just-”

“ _Model rendered_.”

Toni froze. “What?”

The hologram was shining brighter. A header above it read: **99.88% SUCCESSFUL.**

Was it a fluke? Despite her intimate trust in FRIDAY, Toni did the calculations in her head, the same ones that FRIDAY had just done. And it worked. It panned out. It shouldn’t, it was near impossible, but it did.

Toni collapsed into the chair, palm pressed to her forehead in shock. “Fuck!”


	8. Insurance

Toni walked into the room and Pepper immediately knew something was up. It was there in the way she held herself, stiff and forced, like she had something to prove.

“The kids?”

“They're asleep,” Pepper said. “What's up with you?”

Toni sighed, flopping down on the bed. They'd started sleeping next to each other right after the Snap, when Pepper’s sleep was riddled with nightmares and Toni was too terrified to close her eyes. They’d gotten better over time, healing slowly. By now, it was more habit and a reluctance to sleep in an empty bed.

“I figured it out,” was the brunette's short answer.

Pepper nodded. “Good for you. But just so I know what we’re talking about...?”

“Time travel.”

Pepper looked up from her book fully, meeting Toni’s serious gaze.

“Oh.”

* * *

Elizabeth stood by her as she dropped bags into the trunk of her car.

“When are you coming back?” She asked, kicking at the ground with her feet.

Toni knelt in front of her, oddly glad that she wasn’t shooting up in height like Harley had. “I don’t know, Liz,” she said apologetically. “But as soon as possible.”

Elizabeth looked back at her with too keen a gaze, like she could tell Toni was hiding something from her. “When you come back, we’ll do a Disney movie night.”

Toni smiled tightly, swallowing past the lump in her throat. Lizzie had no idea why or where she was going. And she still tried to extract a promise of return. “Sure we will, hon,” she promised, not knowing if she could keep it. _Just like Stephen_ , she thought grimly, then banished the thought. If this venture worked, she’d kick his ass.

She pulled Lizzie into a tight hug, quickly kissing the top of her fair head. “Don’t hassle your Aunt, okay? And be careful with Mason, he’s a baby.”

“Yeah, mom, I know.” She sighed. “Be safe.”

Toni smiled again, more genuinely. “Always am.”

* * *

When Lang returned as his regular self, Bruce pulled the plug.

“Time travel!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms up. “See what I meant?”

With Natasha and Clint fussing over a dazed Lang, Steve walked out to the entrance, running his hand through his hair. How were they going to do this? With Toni refusing to help, Bruce had been their only hope. And if _he_ couldn’t do it...

Disappointment filled him. He really shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. Old habits died hard. What had Toni called it? _Giddy optimism._

Almost as soon as he had the thought, there was the sound of tires squealing over cement. Steve looked up from the ground, finding a sleek black car skidding across the roads. The driver was evidently crazy, but Steve almost smiled as the vehicle rolled to a dramatically slow stop in front of him.

The window rolled down. Toni looked up at him over her trademark sunglasses.

Steve sighed, waiting patiently.

“Why the long face?” She asked, somewhat mocking. “Let me guess, he turned into a baby?”

Steve looked away, knowing what was coming next. “Among other things.”

Toni smirked, getting out of the corner. Steve gave her a quick once-over, noted the all-black ensemble; jeans, sneakers, shirt, jacket, glares. She looked a right sight better than she had two days ago. More... Herself.

“That would be the EPR paradox,” she informed him, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair. “Instead of pushing Scott through time, you ended up pushing time through him. It’s tricky. Dangerous. Somebody should have cautioned you against it.”

Steve looked her squarely in the eye. “You did,” he said.

She raised both eyebrows, faking surprise. “Did I? And you remember it?” But a slow smug smile appeared, taking out the bite from her words. “Well, thank goodness, I’m here.” She held up her hand, showing off a watch-like device around her wrist. “I fixed it. A fully functioning time-space GPS. Got one for everybody on the whole team.”

Steve felt his mouth fall open. “You fixed it?” He asked, awed, but also unsurprised. “You mean you invented time travel in two days?”

“More like one night,” she amended. “And we are getting the whole team, right?”

Steve nodded, feeling that same treacherous hope rising again.

Toni looked him squarely in the eye. “Look, Rogers, I have to tell you my priorities here,” she said seriously. “Get everyone back? Of course. You know I want them back. But my prime responsibility is what we have now. If anything jeopardizes this timeline, _this world_ , I’ll pull the plug.”

Steve held her gaze. He didn’t doubt her words, knew she would do anything to get Strange and her kids back. He also knew she wasn’t kidding about aborting the mission to protect their present.

"And," she went on taking a deep breath. "I don't want to fight on this mission. But we're not friends, okay? Just... Friendly."

It was more than Steve had ever expected. So, he nodded, knowing this was the only deal he was going to get.

She nodded too, taking the hand he extended and shaking it. “Okay... Steve.” She gave him a smile, more genuine than the half-smirks he’d gotten so far. “Let’s get the rest of the team.”

* * *

“Alright, folks, let’s start with the very first Stone any of us ever encountered: the Space Stone. Which _we_ first knew as the Tesseract.”

Toni kept rearranging the holographic notes as Steve spoke. Thor chimed in here and there, though much subdued than the boisterous god that they all remembered. Toni eyed him in concern. He’d grown out a beard, his hair was a little longer, if still shorter than it used to be, and there was an air of general misery about him. _Depression_ , said a voice in Toni’s mind.

And then there was Clint- his hair in a Mohawk, tattoos covering his arms. He was putting on a good show, laughing and joking with everyone else, but at moments, a dark shadow stole over his face. _PTSD_. Toni felt a pang of guilt at that. She’d been the one to ask him to spend his last 18 months on assassination streak.

“Hold on, hold on,” Rhodey interrupted Steve. “Quick question: when you directed the plane into the ocean, couldn’t you have jumped out before it went under?”

There was a short pause.

“Or...” Clint began thoughtfully. “You could have given your coordinates before going under. They would have found you and you wouldn’t have had to spend 75 years hibernating in the ice.”

Steve floundered, muttering something about not thinking it through in the heat of the moment.

_Suicide attempt_ , Toni thought again. Then she viciously shushed her subconscious. It sounded too much like Stephen.

“Alright, the Reality Stone?” Thor took the stage. “It’s not always a stone. Sometimes, it’s a liquid-y gas.”

He was rambling a little, but seemed to pull himself together when he reached the part about Jane Foster.

“The Time Stone is kept in the Eye Of Agamotto,” Toni announced. “And that is kept with the sorcerers. Usually under the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme. Other times, in the New York Sanctum.”

“The Mind Stone, that was in Loki’s sceptre,” Bruce said.

“Okay, you know, we don’t know anything about the Power Stone or the Soul Stone,” Scott pointed out.

Rocket raised a paw. “I know where it was in 2014-Earth time. It was on a planet called Morag. Quill was trying to steal it.”

“So was Thanos,” Nebula interjected. “But Quill got there first. And the Soul Stone will be in Vormir, no matter when in time you go there.”

There was a brief silence, everyone peering at the dates and times scattered about the holograms.

“You know, guys?” Natasha spoke up. “In 2012-Earth time, there are three stones in New York. Time, Space and Mind.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to get the Mind Stone from Vision?” Bruce asked. “Rather than going through Hydra, Shield and Loki?”

“And the Time Stone.” Steve turned to Toni. “Wouldn’t it be easier to get it from a time when Strange and you actually _were_ dating?”

Toni pursed her lips thoughtfully. “It doesn’t matter what time we choose to visit Stephen.” Funny how it didn’t really hurt to say his name. “If we can't get him to trust us, then he won’t give it up. And he’ll be able to tell if we lie to him.”

“As for the Mind Stone, if we time it just right, I think we can get it past the Hydra thugs and everyone else,” Rhodey mused.

Steve nodded. “Okay, so... Toni and Bruce get past security at the Stark Tower-”

“No,” Toni interrupted. “I go to see Stephen at the Sanctum.”

Steve sighed, turning to him. “Toni... Don’t take this the wrong way, but you just said we can’t lie to him. And you’re also... Emotionally compromised.”

Rhodey winced slightly. “I hate to say this, Tones, but he’s right.”

Toni shook her head. “Guys, that’s not the deciding factor here. I’m the only one Stephen will trust.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “She’s right. Strange was just as paranoid as Fury and Toni. He won’t trust any of us. Toni’s the only one with a chance.”

Steve pursed his lips in thought. “Alright. But...” He looked at her pointedly. “No dawdling. Get the Stones and get out.”

“Agreed.”

* * *

The test run was successful. Clint came back, shaky and tearful. Toni had stepped towards him, but Natasha had gotten there first and he hadn’t shrugged her off, so Toni thought it was okay now. _They_ were okay now. Good, because Toni had always known that Clint would never stop caring for his best friend of so long.

So, it was final. They had two days to get their affairs in order, by Toni’s insistence, and then they’d leave on their Heist.

Right now, Toni was in a private room of Metro General Hospital. Doctor Christine Palmer was there, curiously studying the vial of shining silver-blue liquid.

“What did you call this again?” She asked.

“Vibra-Star,” Toni replied. “Princess Shuri of Wakanda named it.”

“And you’re saying it’s a meld of elements that originated in outer space?”

Toni smiled at the deadpan tone. “Yes. Vibranium, which is similar to Uru, the metal used for Thor’s hammer, and Starkanium, which is based off the Tesseract.”

Christine took a deep breath. “All due respect, Toni, I can’t just inject an untested and unapproved substance into your body.”

Toni knew she was right, she knew it. But in her head, she couldn’t hear what Stephen had said to her. _That Vibranium-Starkanium meld... conduit for all the Infinity Stones... might allow a human to wield one. .._

Maybe she was wrong, maybe she was reading into it too much. But she couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she would have to be the one to use the Gauntlet, that Stephen had been trying to prepare her for this without giving much away. And anyway, when had good luck ever been a Stark’s fortune? At least, this way, she’d have insurance that she wouldn’t die. Hopefully.

So, Toni smiled sunnily at the doctor. “Think of me as your first human test subject. Approval will be passed after I find out how well it works.”

Christine shook her head. “Toni, what if it kills you?”

Toni shook her head as well. “It won’t. Shuri was confident and I trust her judgement.”

“She was _sixteen_!”

“And smarter than most of the smartest people I know. Trust me, Christine.”

She sighed. “Lay back. I’ll prep everything.”


	9. Onwards And Upwards

“Are you _sure_?” Scott asked for the tenth time, staring at a diagram of an older version of the arc reactor.

Toni rolled her eyes. “Yes! You’ll only be giving me a mild cardiac arrhythmia.”

Scott shook his head. “That doesn’t sound mild. What does that mean?”

“Nothing important.”

“It means a heart attack,” Natasha cut in.

Scott looked even more panicked, while the rest of them continued eating. “What the _hell_?” He demanded, voice pitching.

“Relax, it’ll be fine,” Toni assured. She wasn’t actually sure about that, but whatever, her past self dying would split the timeline and then it wouldn’t be her problem anyway.

“Aren’t you hot in that jacket?” Clint asked.

Toni tugged down the sleeves. The experimental surgery had left its mark on her and she wasn’t yet ready for everyone to see. If it all worked out, she would never have to be.

“Here’s the thing about fashion, birdy,” she said, adopting a posh, snooty voice. “If it ain’t hurting, it ain’t working.”

“Did you just... Quote Monte Carlo?” Natasha asked.

Toni eyed her critically. “I have a tween girl at home. What’s your excuse?”

The red head shrugged, taking a dainty bite of her dinner to avoid answering.

“So, it’s settled, guys, yes?” Steve asked loudly. “Tomorrow, we do this. And bring everyone back home.”

They all murmured their assent.

* * *

“See you in a minute,” Natasha said with a smile.

They all twisted their watch dials.

The landscape changed, a myriad of bright lights and too many colours to put names to.

* * *

Nebula watched the ship’s doors close, Natasha and Clint disappearing from view.

“Well, let’s hope they’ll be okay,” Rhodey murmured, as they began walking to the spot where they would find with Quill.

Nebula felt guilt settle in. She’d lied, she knew. Because if she hadn’t, they would never have been able to go to Vormir. And even now...

Only one of those two would come back, either Clint or Natasha. Nebula wondered if they would blame her.

She wondered whether she’d been better off when she hadn’t cared.

* * *

Clint grinned, the adrenaline making him giddy.

Beside him, Natasha was staring out the window in wonder, but she met his gaze when he looked at her.

“We’re a long way from Budapest, huh?”

They both laughed, their differences put aside and forgotten.

* * *

Then they were on their feet, in an alley somewhere in New York.

All four of them- Steve, Scott, Bruce and Toni- stood quietly, dazed, trying to catch their bearings.

“So, uh, I guess this is 2012?” Scott asked.

At one end of the alley, there was a roar and a crash. The Hulk appeared, large and green and angry, smashing aliens and infrastructure alike. He paid no attention to them, going on his merry way.

They all turned to Bruce. He fidgeted, shifting on his feet, embarrassed. “I’m just gonna stay human, okay?”

Steve sighed. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” He turned to the rest of them. “Alright, we all know our parts? Bruce and Scott, you two go after the Toni and Thor of 2012, get the Tesseract and get out. Toni, you head to the Sanctum and get the Time Stone. I’ll go after the Strike Team, get the sceptre. Ready?”

They all nodded, their quantum suitable folding away.

Toni took a deep breath. “Once you’re done, you come back here. No detours, guys. Good luck.”

They split up, Steve running one way, Scott hiding in the collar of Bruce’s jacket as he set off in the opposite direction. Toni broke into a light jog down the alley, towards Bleeker Street.

The battle would be over soon, she knew. She’d timed it that way. Then Stephen and Pepper would rush to the Tower to check on her past self after watching her fall from the portal, dead weight. Then, Stephen would check in on the Sanctum, before returning to the penthouse to spend the evening with her.

So, now Toni just had to wait in the Sanctum for a few minutes and not get caught by any of the other sorcerers there.

She came up on the side of 177A. The windows were broken from the attacks so she didn’t bother to walk to the main door. With a quick thermal scan to make sure there was no one inside, she simply hoisted herself up through the window and neatly landed on the inside.

_Score_.

She looked around slowly. Ever since the Snap, Toni had stopped coming here. She couldn’t bear it, couldn’t bear to look around the dark halls and be bombarded by memories.

Right now, though, she had no choice. So she looked around, breathing in the musty air and feeling lightheaded, because upstairs was the room where they’d fallen asleep in after the New York Battle, because they had too many nightmares to sleep alone, and this was the room where Stephen had kissed her for the first time, and this was where he’d taken her when she couldn’t stand being at the Compound anymore and-

The door swung open. Toni spun on her feet, found orange mandalas already aimed at her and a deep, beautiful voice growling, “Who are you?”

Toni couldn’t breathe. “Stephen?”


	10. Familiarly Unfamiliar

Toni stared, wide-eyed, at Stephen. He looked… Younger. Less age lines, less grey in his hair. And he was looking at her as an enemy right now, face grim as his hands glowed with magic, ready to attack. Not quite the Stephen she’d fallen in love with, but close. So close that it hurt.

“Who are you?” He repeated. “Some kind of shifter? An illusion? A mentalist? Showing me a form that I might hesitate to attack?”

“No,” Toni finally blurted out. “No. I’m not… Any of that. I’m Toni. Toni Stark.”

He looked disbelieving. “Too old,” he answered promptly.

Toni would have been offended if it didn't also make her laugh. “Ever heard of time travel?” She asked. “I'm Toni from 2020. You're Stephen Strange. We first met in 2008 before I was kidnapped in Afghanistan. You’re ticklish on the soles of your feet. You hate the taste of coffee but are still addicted to it. You use magic to make your hair move for dramatic effect. And…” She paused, took a deep breath as her heart ached. Her voice softened. “And you're in love with me.”

As she was speaking, Stephen's expression went from doubt to confusion to incredulity. When she finished, he looked strangely terrified. “I only realized ten minutes ago,” he said quietly.

“When I told you that I kissed Steve Rogers,” Toni said, just as quiet. “I know.”

Stephen stayed quiet for a few seconds. As she watched him, he rearranged his face into one of cool self-assuredness. The mandalas vanished and he straightened from his stance, walking closer to her. “2020, really?” He gave her a sweeping once-over. “You look younger than you should by then.”

Toni shrugged. “There’s a reason. I can’t tell you, it hasn’t happened yet.” She ran a nervous hand through her hair.

It came as a surprise when Stephen caught her raised hand in a light grip. “What’s that?” He asked sharply.

Toni followed his gaze. Her sleeve had raised slightly, revealing the skin of her wrist. Olive and smooth, but with thick black lines that looked like they were embossed. They were visibly unnatural, a metallic sheen to it’s color, too much symmetry to the circuit-like network. It was the result of the surgery she’d authorized Christine to perform with Vibra-Star. It ran through almost her whole body now. Toni still couldn’t bring herself to look at her whole reflection.

Stephen was glaring a little. “Who did this to you, Toni?” He sounded angry. 

Toni swallowed, looking away. “I can’t tell you that either,” she said softly.

Stephen grit his teeth, clearly wanting to push. But he nodded slowly, reluctantly. “So, what can I do for you, Toni-from-the-future?”

Toni took a deep breath. There was no easy way to say this. “I need to borrow something for a hot second.” She jabbed a thumb in the direction of the room where the Stone was kept. “Your Eye of Agamatto.”

Stephen barely reacted. “You know that’s not a great way to prove you’re not a bad guy.”

“You already know I’m not the bad guy,” she reminded him. “Seriously, though, I need it.”

“No can do,” he said.

“Stephen,” Toni groaned. “I know you guys have got that vow about protecting it, but, come on! This is me, you can trust me! I need it to save my present. Your future!”

Stephen bit his lip. “That’s not really the problem,” he hedged. With a wave of his fingers, he created an illusion in the air: a thick stream of blue smoke, endlessly flowing between them. “This is time. Linear, unchanged. But-” He poked a finger into the stream. When he pulled it away, a thinner streak of smoke followed, creating a branch. “-when you actively meddle and change something that’s already happened, you create another timeline.”

“Why is that a problem?” She questioned. “Me being here is already a change, this is a new timeline right now.”

He nodded. “Right. But you see, the Infinity Stones are the building blocks of the universe.” A ring of sparkling six stones appeared, revolving around the branch. “They keep the balance. You remove one, that universe will be destroyed. I can’t risk my timeline for yours, Toni.” The branched off stream turned black.

Toni stared at the illusion and shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. In my time, the Infinity Stones were all destroyed over a year ago. We’re still around. I mean, why do you think I’m here in the first place, instead of the Sanctum of 2020?”

Stephen looked amused. “Toni, the Stones are forces of creation. They can’t be destroyed. Blasted apart into tiny molecules and scattered all across the cosmos, sure. But not destroyed. They’ll reform and appear as pretty rocks again after a couple thousand years.”

Toni lost her train of thought for a second, caught up in the way the glow of the illusion was reflected in his eyes. God, she’d forgotten how utterly beautiful he was.

She swallowed and looked back down at the illusion. “What if I promise to come back and give it back? Right at this moment?”

Stephen sighed. “That… Should work. But, Toni… You can’t ask me to take a risk like that.” He looked apologetic.

Toni made a sound of frustration. “Then why the fuck did you just give it away for my life, in my time? After specifically promising me you wouldn’t?”

Stephen stilled. His eyes sharpened and fixed on Toni with single-minded intensity. “I did what?”

Toni faltered. “I was about to be killed. You gave away the Stone in exchange for my life.”

Stephen shut his eyes. For a few long moments, he seemed deep in thought. Then, he sighed.

As Toni watched, Stephen opened his eyes, looking down at her somberly. “Okay.”

Toni blinked. “Uh… Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay. I trust my own judgement. And, I do trust you’ll keep your word.” He held out his palm. The Eye winked into appearance in his scarred palm. “Good luck. And, please, bring it back when you succeed.”

Toni took it gingerly, slipping it around her neck. “You sound confident that we’ll win.”

He smiled down at her. It was crooked, genuine, and Toni wanted to cry with how familiar it was.

“If I had to trust the safety of the universe to one person,” he said softly. “It’d be you.”

She tried to smile back, but her chin was trembling so she didn’t know how well she did it. “I have to go now.”

He nodded. He seemed to hesitate for a second, then, to her surprise, he pulled her into a gentle hug. Toni froze in the embrace.

“You’re not happy,” he whispered. His voice was a low, comforting hum. “You lost someone really important, didn’t you?”

She made a small noise of affirmation in his chest.

“You can’t tell me who it was.” It wasn’t a question, but a fact. She couldn’t tell him. It would mess with the timeline even more.

But the words _You, it was you, I lost you_ , were right on the tip of her tongue.

She felt him kiss the side of her head and fervently wished she could pull him closer, feel his lips on her hers, lose herself in his hold for just a little more time.

But…

She’d promised the team she wouldn’t get distracted. She had to go. Now.

Reluctantly, she pulled away. Stephen looked down at her, his own eyes sad, like there was something he wanted to say to her. “I hope you’re happy with Rogers,” he said. It was genuine and sweet, but there was a hint of regret and bitterness.

No, she couldn’t tell him. She really, really couldn’t. So, she simply smiled at him, hoping he wouldn’t spot the helplessness.

Then she turned and jogged out the Sanctum before she did something she shouldn’t.

She found Steve, Scott and Bruce waiting for her where they’d split up earlier.

Toni patted the amulet. “You got yours?”

Bruce held up a silver suitcase and Steve pointed at long black box that held the staff.

Toni took a deep breath. She looked over her shoulder, down the alley that led back to Bleeker Street, to the Sanctum and to Stephen.

“Toni?” Bruce’s voice was soft. “We should go back home now. Ready?”

Toni couldn’t find her voice. So she simply nodded.

* * *

They all arrived at the same time, standing atop the raised circular platform, still in their quantum suits.

Clint felt dazed. And it wasn’t because of the travel.

“Clint, where’s Nat?” Somebody asked.

Clint couldn’t answer. There was a stone lodged somewhere in his throat, weighing down the back of his tongue. He looked down at his hand, unfurling the clenched fingers to reveal the bright orange stone. The Soul Stone.

The team was talking about something. Something about Natasha. Clint couldn’t really bring himself to focus on it.

He kept seeing Natasha’s last smile, her green eyes glinting with tears.

Clint felt a wave of anger. How fucking dare she die just when he was starting to feel like they were best friends again?

Grief took over pretty quickly.

Clint no longer knew if that was better or worse.

“We have to finish this,” he finally spoke up. His voice was hoarse. He looked at Toni. “We have to bring everyone back. It’s the only way she wouldn’t have… So she didn’t die in vain.” His breath hitched, his voice cracked.

Toni gazed back at him sadly. “Yeah. Yeah, Clint. We’ll get them back.”

* * *

The glove looked almost harmless, even with the Stones set in. Toni had taken care to ensure it looked nothing like Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet. This was more sleek, smooth, refined. Elegant.

Nothing like that chunky, gaudy monstrosity. 

“The Iron Gauntlet,” she announced, not bothering to hide the wariness. She wasn’t actually 100% sure this was going to work with her coming out of it alive.

“I should do it,” Bruce said in a soft voice.

Toni felt alarm shoot through her. “No, Bruce, I-”

“You’re human, Toni,” Bruce told her gently. “Extremis or not, you can’t survive this.”

She couldn’t tell them about the surgery. Christine’s reputation would be at stake. “We don’t know that you will either.”

Thor was itching to speak up. But he remained silent, cowed by Toni’s firm explanation of why he couldn’t be the one.

Bruce shrugged. “I’ve got better chances than you. The Hulk will try to protect me with the gamma rays.”

Before Toni could argue, he took his glasses off, closing his eyes.

Toni sighed. _**-Activate Barn Door Protocol, FRIDAY-**_

Panels slid down into place all along the Compound, blocking the windows.

Bruce held out his hand, taking the glove from Toni. The nanotechnology molded to fit him, the Stones all glowing.

But the second they settled into place, Bruce screamed. Vibrantly colored lightning arced through his form. His body bent backwards with pain.

“Bruce!” Thor yelled.

Toni yanked Clint behind herself, creating a shield to protect him.

Bruce snapped his fingers.

Everything went deathly still and quiet.

Bruce fell to the ground, clutching his arm to him. Thor quickly pulled the Gauntlet off. Bruce’s arm was burnt, charred. But… But it would heal.

Clint’s phone rang.

He took it with trembling hands, staring at the screen with awe and wonder.

At the same time, FRIDAY spoke up. ** _-Boss, incoming call from Harley Stark-_**

Toni sobbed, completely involuntarily.

Then the roof collapsed on them.


	11. A Cheap Trick And A Cheesy One-Liner

Toni wasn't sure if she was knocked unconscious or just blacked out, but the next thing she knew, she was coughing in the dust and rubble surrounded by the remnants of the Avengers Compound. 

"FRI?" She choked. 

**_-Right here, Boss. Thor and Rogers are near your position, but I believe the rest of the team is trapped. Working on retrieval measures now.-_ **

Toni grunted in acknowledgement and got to her feet. She could just make out the red-white-blue sticking out like a sore thumb. Lifting a slab of painted granite, she knelt next to Steve's form. 

"Hey, wake up, buddy," she called, lightly hitting his chest.

He came to with a gasping cough. "What… Happened?"

"Well, you mess with time, it tends to mess back," Toni grumbled, pulling him up. "Which basically means: I told you so."

"Come," Thor said, appearing beside them. "He's waiting."

And yeah, Thanos was outside in the middle of the clearing, sitting on a pile of rocks with a long blade lodged into the ground beside him, looking for all the world like he belonged there. 

Somehow, it was just the three of them who walked out to meet him. Steve had the Wakandan shields strapped to his arms. Thor was leisurely handling both ax and hammer, his whole body crackling with electricity. Toni double-checked her connection with FRIDAY, but kept her helmet off. She wanted to look the Titan in the eye. 

"You couldn't live with your failure," Thanos spoke in a rumbling voice. "And where did that bring you?" He laughed- it sounded like earth shifting. "Back to me."

For one second- that final, drawn-out moment before the battle begins, the calm before the storm- Toni missed Stephen more fiercely than she had since Titan, missed the quick wink he would send her way before launching into a spell, missed the roll of his eyes when she pointlessly quipped with the enemy.

Then she reminded herself that Bruce’s snap had worked. Somewhere out there, on a barren planet, Stephen and Peter were back, were  _ alive _ . Several miles from here, in the city streets, Harley was back too. They were all okay. Everyone was okay.

Now it was Toni’s responsibility, along with everyone else who was here now, to make sure that they’d returned to a world better than the one they'd vanished from.

The fight began.

Toni never flew higher than a few feet off the ground. Previous experience was a reminder that long-distance wasn’t the way to fight this one. All around her, there were alien creatures abound, screeching and yelling and demanding. She could hear her teammates through the comms, busy with their own battles. But her focus was narrowed down to Thor, Steve and Thanos.

Steve swiped with the shields, punched him. Thor swung the ax, denting thick armour, while his hammer was raised to the sky to call down lightning. Toni blasted a repulsor, caught one of the lightning strikes and channeled it through her suit. Nothing seemed to make a dent, just like the last time. 

Steve was thrown against a rock. He sat up groaning, while Toni hovered to cover him from Thanos’ line of sight. 

Through the comms, she heard Clint yell, “Guys, I’ve got the glove. The fuck do I do with it?”

No one had the luxury to answer him.

Thor’s hammer was wrenched away and thrown to the side. The god himself was hit by a small explosion, joining Steve.

Toni was backhanded by the sword. It didn't cut through, but she lay panting on the ground, struggling to sit up. 

Thanos laughed and it sounded exactly like it had on Titan, when he'd laid his hand on her head. 

"It is time to make a new universe," he spoke slowly. 

"A universe built in blood and death," Steve pointed out, gasping in pain. 

Thanos smiled. "They won't know that. And you won't be there to tell them."

Above them, the sky opened, dozens more ships appearing. 

_ This is it,  _ Toni thought with a resigned sort of panic.  _ This is the end.  _

Then there was a burst of static, not from her comms but the air around her. Like showering sparks. A sound she hadn't heard in so long… 

And… 

Toni turned, stumbling a little, drawing her helmet back. 

Large, spinning, orange-gold rings opened up all along the battlefield. There were people marching through, some flying, one on a pegasus. All of them carried weapons. 

Closest to herself was Pepper, sticking a perfect landing, helmet retreating to throw a small smile at Toni. 

There were so many voices in her comms, too many to single anyone out. 

But she looked around wildly, heart beating in double time and- There! 

Harley was right behind Pepper. Peter swung over to his side. They caught each other in a high-five-hug. And standing to their side, tall and regal as Levi flew out from somewhere to settle on his back, was Stephen. 

They hadn't spotted her yet, but it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

* * *

When there was a lull in the number of aliens attacking him, Stephen allowed himself to relax for a second. 

Heart thumping wildly, he looked around for Toni. There was a sharp second of fear when he realized she was on the ground, scrambling away from an advancing enemy. 

Before Stephen even started moving, Peter and Harley were on the spot, making quick work of the alien. 

"Holy crap, Miss Stark, you're not gonna-"

"How could you have expected me to stay out-?"

"-but you weren't there-"

"-and Aunt Pep and I were flying together-"

"-and Doc did his magic sparkly circle thingy-"

"-what kind of a name is Wong anyway-?"

"-what's that grey stuff in your hair-?"

Stephen watched Toni swallow, her gaze fixed on the boys. "It's, um, just, just some grey hair," she whispered. 

"Oh, okay. Anyway-"

Whatever was to be said next was cut off by Toni. She grabbed their shoulders, hauling them to herself in a suffocating hug. Both Harley and Peter quieted immediately, relaxing into her arms, as she visibly tried not to shake in relief, eyes slipping close as she pressed tiny kisses to both their hairs. 

"Okay, okay, go now," she managed to say, letting them go with obvious reluctance. "Be safe, please." There was no mistaking how much she wanted to send them away to somewhere safe. 

Both of the boys went off, Peter hanging onto a web attached to Harley's armour. 

Toni turned, finally seeing Stephen. 

Something in Stephen cracked as their eyes locked across the distance. His knees buckled- he was only standing thanks to Levi. 

Toni flew the short distance to him. "You douchebag," she growled, but it was choked off with tears. 

Stephen tried to smile, but in his mind's eye, all he could see were the futures he'd skimmed through on Titan. His mind was buzzing with questions that he couldn’t risk asking: Had it been five years or 18 months? Had Toni understood what he'd been trying to tell her about the Vibra-Star? Had she undergone the surgery? Had she gotten the Time Stone from his past self or had she sent Bruce to do it? Did she still love him or-? 

She was in his arms, the shape of the armour warm and familiar. Stephen's thoughts finally slowed down, as she kissed him, with a harsh desperation that was a direct contrast to the gentleness of the metallic fingers clutching his tunic.  The battle raged around them, but for a few seconds, Stephen's world was narrowed down to the smell of the concrete and the softness of Toni's cheeks under his shaking palms.

When they broke apart, she was trembling. "That future you saw," she whispered. "The one out of a million that we win- tell me this is it."

"If I tell you what happens, it won't happen." Stephen thought that she could see the pain in his eyes, the helplessness. 

She didn't ask, just stared at him for a few seconds. "I love you," she said. 

Stephen felt like he was choking on the knowledge of how this was going to end. He didn't say it back to her. He couldn’t. "Be safe."

Her eyes widened in concern and disbelief, but he turned away before she questioned him further.

* * *

Toni supposed that, in a way, some part of her had always known this would happen. That, in the end, it would come down to her and Thanos. That she would, once again, be the last one standing.

When Bruce had taken it upon himself to snap the Gauntlet, she’d been foolish to think she was home free.

Carol had gotten the closest, barely wrenching the Gauntlet of Thanos’ hand. But he’d thrown her off with a blast from the Power Stone. 

He was ready to do it, any second now. He would snap his fingers and everything would be over.

Except Toni could see Stephen staring at her. It had to take a fuck-ton of concentration to hold back the swirling torrent of water as he was, but his whole focus was on her. And he raised a hand, holding up one finger, trembling more than it ever should.

Toni didn’t know which was worse- the fear that made his hand shake more, or the grief in his eyes that was palpable even from this far.

She couldn't bear either, so she looked away, looked at the ground.

Thanos yelled in pain, the united strength of all six Infinity Stones starting to take their toll on him.

Toni smiled grimly to herself.  _ That’s my Gauntlet, you fucker. _

In one final act of desperation, Toni launched herself at the Titan. It was a short grapple, barely lasting a few seconds. Toni wasn’t entirely sure how she did it, but the Stones zapped out of the Gauntlet, like they were responding to her sheer will. He threw her back without ever realizing his loss.

Toni rolled on the ground, the armour protecting her from the worst of it, shredded and broken though it was. But she couldn't really feel the pain of all the little cuts and abrasions, not with the way pure electricity arced through her body, sapping the last of her strength as she struggled not to scream. But the pain was accompanied by awe, by the exhilaration of possibilities. Her mind was filled with visions, endless acts of creation. She could do so much with these Stones, could fix so many wrongs, could remake the world-

“I am inevitable,” Thanos gloated.

But she didn’t have the luxury or the right to do any of that. She had a responsibility. And she was going to see it through to the very end.

Thanos frowned in confusion, then dawning realization.

Toni smirked, pointedly not looking at Stephen. She opened her hand, showing off the nanotech that had molded to fit in all the Stones. They glowed, sending streaks of colour down the veins of her wrist, where they were left exposed. 

Toni had only one wish: to survive. But even if she didn’t, she had no regrets.

“And… I’m…” It only took her a second to decide what to say. Best way to go out was with a perfect zinger, right? “Toni Stark.”

She snapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter left, guys!


	12. Curtain Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curtain Call: the end of a performance, when one or more performers return to the stage...

Clint looked around at their little gathering. Himself, Bruce, Rogers, Rhodes and Thor. Toni and Natasha's absences were more than a little jarring. 

Bruce seemed to feel the same thing. "Okay, we all know the plan, right?" He asked, clearing his throat. "Steve takes care of the Time Stone, Lang gets the Space Stone, I get the Mind Stone. Clint, you put the Soul Stone back, Rhodes will return the Power Stone, and Thor gets the Reality Stone. Okay, ready? One, two, three…"

It was a twist of the watch dial, a press of the button and then it was all flashing lights and the feeling of whiplash. He stumbled, feet finding solid ground and a multi-hued sky above.

Vormir. Or, the Bad Place, as Clint had been calling it in his head. Funnily enough, despite what had happened here, he felt confident. Sure of himself. He had a plan.

He trudged through the hike up the red cliff, going over his idea and silently practicing dialogues. He felt his determination grow with every step he took. There was no way he was leaving this godforsaken planet alone.

When he reached the top, the guardian of the Stone did not look surprised, like he’d known Clint was coming. Jackass.

“Hey,” he called out. “Got your jewelry back.” He held up the translucent container Thor had provided them all with. Inside, the Soul Stone glowed a warm orange.

Red Skull, as CLint had realized he was after returning to earth the last time, barely reacted. “Drop it over the cliff,” he said, in that disembodied voice.

Clint smirked, shoved the tiny box back into his pocket. “Not so fast. I wanna make a deal.” 

The guardian didn’t speak for a second. Had he been shocked into silence? “A deal?” He asked darkly. “That is not possible.”

“Not possible? Or never done before?” Clint demanded. It was a gamble, but the ensuing stoicness confirmed what he’d hoped. “Look, it’s simple. I give you the Stone. You give me Natasha back. It’s the same deal you gave us: a soul for a soul.”

“That isn’t how it works,” Red Skull hissed- and yeah, Clint can now hear the hints of the maniacal Nazi. “You are a worthless human. You have no right, none, to be making demands.”

Clint refused to back down. “I’m holding the Stone. I’ve got all the rights.”

“I could take it from you by force, boy,” was the growled reply. “Do not test me.”

Clint took a deep breath and prayed he wasn’t wrong. “Can you?” He asked quietly. “Doesn’t your punishment mean you can’t touch the Stone? Isn’t that your curse?”

Again, no answer. He’d hit the right spot.

“So, it’s Natasha for the Stone, otherwise, I’ll just walk right back down that cliff and leave,” Clint told him. “I have it on good authority that if the Stone isn’t returned, this timeline- or alternate reality, whatever- will Kamikaze itself. And since it’s your job to protect this place, I think it goes against your job description to let this cozy little cliffside of yours get destroyed.”

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Neither of them spoke or moved.

Then the Red Skull sighed.”Very well. Return the Stone and your companion shall be returned.”

Clint narrowed his eyes. “Is that a promise?”

“I’m bound by my word.” It sounded like a lament.

And Clint really didn’t have a choice. It was another gamble. A leap of faith. With renewed steel, he marched to the very edge and let the Stone drop without a second thought.

* * *

Steve stood in front of the doors of the Sanctum. He’d never been here before, hadn’t wished to. But Strange, on of his very rare breaks from sitting at Toni’s bedside, had given him the address with a a stiff posture and blankness in his eyes. Steve doubts there will ever be anything resembling cordiality between them.

Hopefully, the Stephen Strange of the past would be more congenial.

All hopes of that was dashed the second he pushed the doors open and Strange turned to him with the beginnings of a smile that turned into a muted glare immediately.

“Rogers,” he greeted coolly. “From the future, I suppose.”

Steve felt his lips thin and nodded. “I’m here to return this.” He held up the bulky amulet.

Strange practically snatched it from his hands. “I was under the impression Toni would be coming,” he said. “She told me so right before leaving, barely a minute ago.”

Steve tried not to wince. “She’s… She, uh…”

Strange’s eyes narrowed immediately. “What?” He asked sharply.”Is she alright? Is…” He cut himself off.

Steve couldn’t ignore the concern in his voice, the worry, the love. “She’s a little banged up,” he said quietly, somehow unable to tell the whole truth. “Your future self gave me this address.”

Strange hummed. He closed his eyes momentarily, looking down at the ground. When he looked back, there was a twisted smile on his lips. “Well, thank you for bringing this back as soon as possible. I take it you were successful?”

Steve nodded. 

Strange held his hand up. The amulet glowed and vanished. “You should be on your way, then. And…” He hesitated visibly. “Take care of Toni.”

Steve hadn’t planned to say it, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them. “That isn’t my job anymore.”

Strange blinked. “What?” he asked dumbly. For the first time ever, he looked rattled. “I thought…”

Steve had spent a long time doing the wrong thing for everyone else while trying to do the right thing for himself. He needed to change that. “You need to talk to her, Strange,” he muttered. “Give yourself a chance. She doesn’t know how to refuse you anything."

He took a second to enjoy the flabbergasted expression on the usually unflappable sorcerer before jogging back out of the Sanctum.

* * *

Stephen stayed by the hospital bed, barely moving. How could he, when Toni was unconscious, her body damaged but slowly healing, the steady rise and fall of her chest the only movement visible? She may as well have been in a coma.

Of course, no sooner than he'd had the thought, the heart monitor spiked. 

Stephen leaned forward immediately. He wanted to reach out, touch Toni’s arm, slip his fingers between hers. But he resisted, watching her come to awareness instead.

Toni’s lips parted on an exhale, nose scrunching slightly as the smell of antiseptics registered. The fingers of her left hand fluttered against the sterile bed covers, testing for mobility. Her right hand remained still. Eyebrows twitched. Her eyes blinked open. They were glowing blue.

“Toni?” Stephen whispered.

The blue faded back to brown and Toni turned to him. “Stephen,” she whispered. 

Stephen managed a smile, shaky and uncertain. Toni didn’t return it, just kept regarding him with a careful aloofness, even as she struggled to sit up. 

“What happened?” She asked.

Stephen swallowed, ignoring how dry his throat was. “You snapped the Stones. Thanos' army turned to dust. You, uh… Collapsed. Your right arm was burnt… RUined, pretty much. The power surge must have affected your brain a little bit too, because you didn’t seem to be all that cognizant. Uh, your arc reactor flickered off. FRIDAY told us your vitals were failing…” He trailed off, remembering the senseless horror of watching Toni’s frozen gaze, the blood and burn marks over her skin, her breath stuttering as the blue of her reactor blinked out. “We thought you were dead,” he whispered.

Toni closed her eyes. “The Vibra-Star saved me, I guess.”

Stephen nodded. “Yeah. That was… A smart move. I was afraid you wouldn’t figure it out in time. Once FRIDAY assured us you were alive, I brought you here. You’ve been in a coma for little over a month. Lots of stuff happened.”

She just hummed. “Where are we exactly?” Testing her movements, she frowned. “What’s wrong with my right arm?” She asked. “You said it was ruined? Did they do some surgery on it?”

Stephen nodded as she looked at him again. “They had to amputate, Toni. But, um... “ He gestured at her right arm, smooth and scar-free. “They replaced it. With your tech- the same you gave Barnes. But Shuri was responsible for the artificial skin grafting.”

Toni stared down at her own arm, turning and twisting it gingerly. “It… Feels a little slow,” she admitted.

“Practice, I guess? And the Vibra-Star was too volatile to operate with so Shuri had it removed.”

Toni sighed. When she looked at him again, she was quiet, raking her gaze over his haggard appearance, noting the scruff, the unkempt hair, the rumpled clothes. “You haven’t left this room a lot, have you?” She asked.

Stephen met her gaze firmly. “I couldn’t. How could I have?”

Finally, some emotion showed in her eyes: hurt. “You lied to me, didn’t you?” She asked in a small voice. “When you said there was only one future we won.”

Stephen closed his eyes.

Toni’s hand was an insistent warmth on his wrist. “Stephen,” she pleaded. “Tell me. Why did you lie to me? Was there another way?”

“A few,” he replied, choking on the sob threatening to escape. “But they were… We would…”

“What?”

“You died in every single one of them,” he said fast. He opened his eyes, found her staring at him. She looked a little blurry through the tears filling his eyes. “All of them- you died to protect Peter, Harley, to save me, or someone else. You always died. Even in the ones we didn’t win…” The sob broke out. “I lost you in a hundred different ways, 24 million times. I couldn't… This was all I could do.”

Toni’s grip tightened. She tugged lightly and he obliged, somehow making space on the narrow hospital bed to hug her close to his chest. They were both shaking, both of them gripping each other too tight. Toni’s small body was warm and achingly familiar and Stephen never wanted to let go. This, right here, was where he belonged. And despite the tears from both of them, Stephen finally felt at peace.

* * *

**NEW YORK, 2012 (THE ALTERNATE TIMELINE)**

Toni looked over at Bruce. “Buddy, you’re beat,” she observed.

He smiled wanly at her over the glow of the Tesseract. “Sorry. The Hulk takes a lot out of me.” He yawned. “Plus, I’m a little out of practice with these late-night to early-morning coffee-fueled science binges.”

Toni grinned at her new friend. “You’re adorable,” she chuckled. “I think I’m gonna keep you, Banner.”

He smiled back at her, a little shy, but also pleased. “I think I’d like that,” he muttered. He looked away quickly. “I think I’m gonna crash in one of those spare bedrooms you showed me. That okay?”

Toni smiled at the change in topic. Looked like emotional repression was another thing they shared. “Go ahead. I’ll keep working.” She was tired too, but she had JARVIS, coffee and AC/DC to keep her company. Plus, she had only tonight to do as much research on the Tesseract as she could, since Thor would be taking it with him tomorrow.

“Try not to blow anything up, Toni,” Bruce warned on his way out of the lab.

Toni grinned. Just a day and a half of working together and he already knew her so well. “I’ll keep it in mind,” she called after him.

Somehow, the ensuing silence seemed more stifling than usual. Maybe it was the sight of the Chitauri mothership exploding that was still imprinted in her mind, maybe the breathless awe of staring into the deep, cold darkness that was space, or maybe it was the look on Stephen’s face when she’d told him she’d kissed Steve. She couldn’t get any of it out of her mind.

Speaking of- the sound of a portal opening had her turning around with a smile already in place.

“Hey,” she greeted. “I just saw you like an hour ago, you’re supposed to be sleeping…” She trailed off.

Stephen looked a little… Off. He was staring at her, eyes wide and jaw slack.

Toni frowned with worry, stepping into his space. “Stephen?” She placed a hand on his jaw, angling his face to peer at him better. “Hey, come on, what-?”

He kissed her. Toni closed her eyes on instinct. It was brief, intense, with a force that had her stumbling when he pulled away.

She stared up at him. Her lips tingled. “Stephen?” She whispered.

He looked a little apprehensive, but he scowled like he was only annoyed. “Please don’t kiss Steve Rogers again,” he grumbled, but there was an undertone of pleading. “I think I might die of how much I’d hate him.”

She swallowed. Involuntarily, she thought about the night they’d first met, how they’d clicked so seamlessly. She thought about the morning after, when she’d looked at his sleeping form and wanted, just for a second, to stay with him. She’d made a wrong choice, one she’d lamented as she danced with him and then put out of her mind forever. And now, almost four years later, she had the chance to choose differently.

“Toni?” Stephen’s voice was soft, uncertain. His light grip on her waist tightened for a second, despite how much it must hurt him, like he was afraid she was going to slip away. 

Toni took a deep breath. Her hand slid from his jaw to rest over his heart. “You should kiss me again,” she told him in a quiet voice. “For the sake of your continued life.”

Stephen’s smile was blinding, eyes practically sparkling. He kissed her, longer this time, softer and less desperate, and if JARVIS happened to dim the lights and blackout the lab from outside… Well, no one had to know but them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, guys, we're finally done. This story, as well, as this series, has come to an end. Thank you so much to every single on of you for sticking with me from the very beginning, all the way back in 2018, and to those of you who joined in from the middle and . I could never have finished this without your continued support throughout this whole thing. You guys are all amazing and I love you. Thank you and stay safe! - Kassy

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr: kassyscarlett


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